Glorious Mystery #3

The Third Glorious Mystery along the Calzada de los Misterios depicts the Descent of the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit returns to present new life to the disciples. The same event is celebrated in the feast of Pentecost, seven weeks after Easter. The event also coincides with the Jewish celebration of Shavuot, “weeks” in Hebrew. Thus the Virgin Mary and the Apostles are usually depicted gathered for that observation when the Holy Spirit descends from the sky.

The monument to this third glorious mystery stands somewhat ironically at the intersection of Ferrocarril Mexicano, the old railroad line. When this railroad was built in the 19th century, seven of the original 15 monuments were badly damaged. They were entirely lost to history until the Calzada was restored in 1999.

Today all 15 Mysteries (eight original and seven restored) line the Calzada de los Misterios. It’s an ancient pilgrimage route that used to lead to Tepeyac. A shrine there was later repurposed for devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe, and that later grew into the Basilica de Guadalupe. But along with the Basilica, a colonial city also emerged. It remained important, and independent of Mexico City, until well into the 20th century.

This monument is the first of two within the modern neighborhood of Tepeyac Insurgentes. The walk still leads one to the Basilica and here, the old city of Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo becomes ever more apparent.