Latino's Split over Surfing Madonna

NORTH COUNTY TIMES
By Ernesto Lopez

Traditional image of Virgin of Guadalupe

CALIFORNIA - The most popular religious symbol in Mexico, the Virgin of Guadalupe (below) is held in high regard by many Latinos and Catholics. Seeing that sacred image reworked in a secular mural as the "Surfing Madonna" in Encinitas near Moonlight State Beach bothers some local Latinos and religious leaders. Others, however, say it is not sacrilegious and enjoy it as art. And if not all Catholics and/or Latinos interviewed were offended by the depiction of an icon they see as a representation of their faith and Mexican heritage on a piece of political art (the mural contains the phrase "Save the Ocean"), the opinions offered were a far cry from the near-universal acclaim that has greeted the mural in artistic circles. [link]

The surfing Madonna on Encinitas Boulevard. NCT file photo