Live in the Santa Clarita Valley long enough, and you’re likely to come across all types of romp ‘em, stomp ‘em trucks.
There’s big ones like this (still the largest stomper truck I ever did see):
A Stomper truck doesn’t necessarily have to be large. It just has to be raised. Hence the fact that today in Santa Clarita, there are more stomper trucks of all types -domestic or import, from Ford to Toyota, compact to ultra-big- than there are Democrats.
Indeed, there are so many stomper trucks in the SCV that the entire stomper-truck/SCV ecosystem, if you will, exists almost as a parody of itself.
So why am I writing about them?
Well there’s an entire breed of SCV truck I’ve failed to mention here on SCVTalk. And it belongs to our neighbors on the other side of the truck, err track.
That’s right I’m talking about the Mexican trucks.
Unlike their American counter parts, the Mexicans don’t really raise their trucks up high, jack ‘em up, or what have you. They don’t install giant wheels and tires for to stomp the namby-pamby enviros in their Prii (or bicycles as the case may be). They don’t have big chrome hitches because, well, they don’t own great big boats.
But one thing the Mexican trucks of Sahn-ta Clha-rita have over their ‘Merican counterparts is art. Art on their front windshield announcing which Mexican state they are from (or take pride in). Art on their back windshield. Hood art. Door art. Hanging-from-the-rear-view-mirror art. Naked lady art. It’s all there.
But the the greatest of these was spotted by your’s truly today while riding my bike:
Let’s start left to right here. Of course, no Mexican truck can go without La Virgin de Guadalupe, the Patron Saint of Mexico. Notice how the light is shining down on her as she gazes upon the scene. In Mexico, the Virgin is almost equal to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit; she is Theotokos, after all, and provides intercessory prayer on behalf of all faithful Catholics, but especially those who invoke her on every tacky knick-knack in sight.
On the far right we have a somewhat disturbing icon of Jesus, her son, complete with a crown of thorns, bloody tears, and a sullen, almost morose look. He’s obviously sad, but about what?
One possible reason he’s sad could be the seemingly-broken down Ford stomper truck in the middle of the piece. The truck, it seems, is immobile, stuck on what could be either the latest in rural Mexican highway technology, or possibly, railroad tracks, representative of where many Mexicans in Santa Clarita live.
Most intriguing of all is the figure in front of the truck. It’s a white woman! A blonde white woman either fixing or pushing the Ford truck, presumably with Mary and Jesus’ blessing.
I was so deep into the meaning of this mobile stomper truck mural that I almost missed the light turning green. Right then, like an epiphany (a true Jeff on the Road to Newhall moment) it struck me: this art work shows the driver’s conception of heaven. Heaven to the Mexican stomper truck crowd includes Mary and Jesus looking on, a rural scene with shady trees (like the one Francisco Lopez rested under in Placerita Canyon), and a blonde white woman fixing your broken down blue Ford truck.
All this. On the back of a truck. Genius!
Surely, in this case, the Mexicans have brought more meaning -and dare I say it- virtue to the Santa Clarita stomper truck scene than their American counterparts.
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” In Mexico, the Virgin is almost equal to God”.
I am biting my tongue Jeff!
I am just blown away you actually know a theological term in Greek.
I know your interpretation was tongue-in-cheek, but as one of your resident Catholic readers, I must say that I think the blone lady is St. Frances of Rome, one of a handful of patron saints of cars, driving and drivers. In the states, most think of St. Christopher as being the patron saint of travelers and driving, but it’s medals of St. Frances that are carried by taxi drivers and motorists in Rome.
I did a little Googling and discovered that on March 9th of every year, you can bring your car to the church where she was buried to have it blessed. So despite the awkward pose, immodest clothing, and incorrect proportions, I’d say the blonde is St. Frances.
Thank you for your excellent coverage of a generally neglected sector of SCV automobilia.
I hope this isn’t sacrilegious, but I neglected to mention that I thought the blonde was a prostitue on first glance, bending over the driver’s side window to deliver the “You wanna party?”/”Whatcha lookin’ for?”/”You want a date?” line.
It looks to me like she is leaving a deposit on the front bummer of that F-150.
I thought the paint on the left was an image out of star trek! Beam me up Scotty.
I won’t mess with the image on the right.
The only thing missing was an Obama/Biden bumper sticker
Enter the confusing,non sensical comment killing comment. Oh well….
that’s putz for ya
“I am just blown away you actually know a theological term in Greek”
The term? How about the knowledge of doctrine behind the term. Makes me feel smarter for just having read this piece