Roadside memorials to people who have lost their lives on the road have been a tradition in New Mexico since at least the 18th century. They are called descansos or resting places and I have been told by devout New Mexican Catholics that they have their origin in the theory that the souls of people who have met violent deaths without last ritesare in purgatory and so other travelers must stop at the descanso and say a prayer for them. As I am not Roman Catholic I cannot vouch for the theological correctness of this but it is a popular belief in Hispanic New Mexico. Now they usually mark the sites of automobile accidents, but I have seen one on the old road from Santa Fe to Taos that marks the site where twenty-odd Taosenos were killed by American troops during the Taos Revolt. I have also seen descanos in Mexico, and they are common in regions of Texas with large Hispanic populations. I have always thought that their spread across the rest of the United States is the result of the increasing Hispanic population of this country and is a good example of cultural syncretism, as many contemporary roadside crosses are memorials to non-Hispanics.

Lonn Taylor
[log in to unmask]  
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Audra Oliver 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 11:35 AM
  Subject: Re: Memorials


  Are spontaneous memorials a relatively new thing or have I been relatively unaware until recently?  I seem to recall something along these lines with Valentino and perhaps JFK.  Were items from these earlier memorials preserved or is the preservation of these things as well as the volume and what I perceive as increased frequency a recent development?  I know that Oklahoma City was inundated after the bombing, the Columbine shooting generated thousands of items and cost much in-kind support to preserve.
  Along these lines, in the Pacific Northwest white crosses have been placed at roadsides where people have been killed in accidents for as long as I can remember.  The first I remember of decorated crosses in a similar situation was on Native American land in Idaho in 1980.  Now there seems to be a widespread practice (at least in the Rocky Mountain west) of heavily decorated roadside crosses.  Is this more wide-spread or is it localized?

  ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: 
  The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). 

  If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). 


=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).