"Monster Maria," a statue of Maria Corbalan, owner of a Taco XPress in South Austin, Texas, has had its arms chopped off by daring vandals. They climbed atop the restaurant on the night of September 14 and hacked off her eight-foot arms, leaving only shreds of styrofoam on the roof.

The vandals then reportedly called a local newspaper to boast that Maria had had "liposuction" on her arms.

The desecration of the statue, which was a beloved local landmark, has led some to speculate that it was performed by a local taco competitor. Maria has pledged to replace the arms, suggesting the new ones might be made of cactus to discourage future indignities.

[10/01/2005]

May 21, 2013