Monday, March 26, 2007

The Holy Grail

Back when I first started taking photos of carnicerias back in 2005.
I actually started off with what I consider the one that started my fascination with these
special types of murals.

I like to think of it as the Mona Lisa, the Sistine Chapel, nay, The Holy Grail of meat murals.

I'm talking about the city of Vernon.

I'm talking about the Farmer John's processing plant.

Yup, I'm talking about Hog Heaven.

If you live in L.A. and haven't driven by this GARGANTUAN mural called Hog Heaven, I pity you.

I grew up in Bell Gardens and anytime we would be driving back from the old Sears building I'd ask our dad to take us to see "los puercitos."

Or little pigs.

I really didn't know what the building was, but I knew what was on the outside of it.
Pigs, and lots of them.
Everytime we drove by it was a treat.
It seemed like it was alive like the cartoons I would see on television.

Pigs running.

Pigs fighting for their lives.

Pigs feeding.

I never forgot that place even after we had moved.
From time to time whenever we would go visit family back in the old hood, we'd drive by it.
Like a good friend, it was always there waiting to be visited.
When I finally decided to start taking pictures, I had realized that I had never gotten out of the car to see it up close and personal. Thats when the mural became something more special.

A pig whistling with little musical notes coming from its mouth.


A fox in a chicken cage.


Baby Jesus in a barn.
Yes, there's even baby Jesus.

I never knew much about the mural until I started my blog. Even so, I've tried not to learn much about it. Like all the murals that I find on our little adventures, I try to keep my sense of childhood fascination about these fantastical paintings.

I like to think they were always there.

Magically painted on the streets of L.A.

More next week...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did you get any photos of the pigs trying to get out??

LOL! I love that building... but not the smell that comes from it...


heh.
the holy grail ? ay dios mio!

-i

Tony Mora said...

Yeah, I have lots more pics. I still have to go back and take better ones. Thats where I started testing on how I'd be taking pics for my blog. I need to show the enormity of that place.

Anonymous said...

Nice... How could I have forgotten about this place aside from 20 years of Bay Area living?

Your photos rock! I have BBQ man on my Mac desktop at work :-)

Tony Mora said...

Thank Anonymous!

Anonymous said...

This site reminds me of the happy donkey. I was in LA about eight years ago on a work related trip. I saw a mural on a market featuring a happy and surprised looking toon donkey. I wish I had brought my camera! It was drawn well and so cute. It was colored mostly with dark blue, blue-gray and burnt-orange, with just a little yellow for the surprise rays eminating from his head. The food there must be very good from his reaction.

Anonymous said...

Very nice blog!!!!!

52joan said...

Love them! Here in S.Fran I live in the Inner Mission, and Oh! what a feast for the eyes, and my camera!
Love y'alls photos. FYI precitamurals.com