On a visit to Peekskill, NY last September, I was walking down North Division Street when I noticed these seemingly sad figures crouched on the street. Then I noticed a boarded up window with the hand-written message “Taco District.” My first thought was that it was someone’s graffiti message, proclaiming this strip of Peekskill as a “taco district,” although I didn’t notice any Mexican restaurants while glancing around.
Despite the sense of mystery at the time I saw this, I did have an appreciation for these colorful figures. As you can see in the 2nd figure below, his sombrero has been cracked and split, but he or she acts as a bookend to the other figure as a pair on the street. But as I’m posting this now, I’m noticing a few things: the base of the 2nd figure does identify itself as belonging to Ruben’s Mexican Cafe, which must have been closed on that September day, as I didn’t notice it. And “Taco District” is actually the name of a 2nd restaurant called Taco District, and not a graffiti tag … they must have been undergoing renovations since the window was boarded up. I think I’ll have to go back and try both restaurants!
Maybe these figures aren’t sad afterall, perhaps they’re just taking a siesta after enjoying a meal at either one of these restaurants. I wish I could find some info on these sculptures, if anyone has any insight to share, please do so in the comments section below.