I wrote about the Spirit Totem Trail in 2012, our first year here (https://wanderwest.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/the-trail-of-the-spirit-totem-rocks/.) An exotic display of outdoor art, a nearby resident had constructed an approximately two block long display of rock work, the most impressive being a stonehenge look-alike. All were tasteful, elemental, some even quite spiritual.
Green Valley Stonehenge
Mr. Woods, the artist, has since moved away. This spring we were surprised to find that others had pitched in with their own “art” which ran the gamut from ghoulish to kitsch. There were statues of My Little Pony, holographic butterflies, fake saguaros, assorted license plates and birdhouses. “Digby” had spelled out his name in tiny stones.
Napping
There were statues of roadrunners and coyotes, as well as a “pedro”—what we affectionally call the sleepiing white clothed, sombrero-clad plaster statues very popular around Green Valley. We found out from some Esperanza Estates homeowners that the Totem Trail had been expanded to include the contributions of local grandchildren, visiting over the winter holidays. Come May many of the most unlikely additions had been removed.
Ceramic Turkey and Saguaro
Still, new additions remain including a tall silver Saint Francis who now stands guard with his pastel ceramic angel friend.
And there’s the new Santa Muerte prayer shrine—the female Saint of Death, not accepted by the Catholic church but often venerated in Mexico— and an adjacent stack of plastic skulls, relating Santa Muerte to the annual Day of the Dead celebration. The original empty cliff dwelling has gained an entire village of ceramic natives. A teepee has been added to the courtyard; dogs stand guard on the roof.
It’s a strange amalgamation now, far removed from the original, more visceral spiritual feeling, especially the stonehenge which was properly oriented and scaled, and the pictograph rocks. Surrounded by glittery plastic and multi-colored glass stones it seems the totemic spirits moved away, perhaps to join their artist-creator.
http://www.santamuerte.org/santamuerte/4391-una-oracion-muy-fuerte-y-especial-para-el-amor.html
http://www.santamuerte.org/english/5334-the-return-my-love-to-me-prayer.html