Virgin Of Guadalupe Mosaic Surfs Into Calif. Town

NPR
By Amy Issac Jackson

Charlie Neuman/The San Diego Union-Tribune via ZUMA Press

CALIFORNIA - The Virgin of Guadalupe has been spotted on a piece of toast, a tortilla and a griddle in a U.S. border town. Now, she has shown up beneath a viaduct near the ocean in San Diego County. It all started on the side of a busy road in Encinitas, Calif., underneath the train tracks. The story that's made its way around town is that on the Friday before Easter, a construction crew showed up and a 10 foot by 10 foot brightly colored mosaic of the Virgin of Guadalupe riding a surfboard and catching a huge wave seemed to mysteriously appear. Along the side, it says, "Save the Ocean" [aka Surfing Madonna]. "It definitely fits with the whole beach-city vibe down here," says Kyle Smith. The mosaic is intricate and beautiful. The stones and glass the artist chose give the Virgin's face a sort of beatific look. Her hands even have stone knuckles. The problem is that the piece just appeared. It's illegal. [link]