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Glorious Mystery #5

The Fifth Glorious Mystery welcomes pilgrims and strollers to the Basilica de Guadalupe. It’s the 15th monument to stand along the eastern edge of the Calzada de los Misterios, the traditional entranceway, or pilgrimage route that leads to the Basilica.

Fittingly, the Mystery depicted is the Coronation of the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. For the religious, and the artistic the subject had become increasingly important from the Gothic period onward. It’s especially prominent in Italian religious works from the 14th century and 15th centuries.

The monument here is especially prominent as it is so close to the grounds of the Basilica. The New Basilica building is perfectly visible from just across the street. The fact that the monument here is one of the eight original monuments only lends to its prominence. The seven monuments directly south of here were replaced in 1999 after having been destroyed during the 19th century.

The original monuments present something of an enigma in the Baroque style that modern viewers may find particularly alien. But here one is also decidedly within the old downtown section of the city of Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo. Cars are nearly always parked at the base of the monument, and it can feel like part of a much smaller industrial city. In fact, that’s what the old city was for many generations.

The parallel Calzada de Guadalupe, just one block to the east, is in many ways an equally pleasant and inviting walk to the Basilica. But for those walking the ancient pilgrimage route, the arrival here at the Fifth Glorious Mystery can prove a more somber and conscientious experience. The long history of the place is that much more palpable beneath the inescapable patina of the 20th century.