Sorrowful Mystery #2

The Second Sorrowful Mystery on the Calzada de los Misterios is, in English, commonly called The Scourging at the Pillar. The theme was common in Passion Plays depicting the Stations of the Cross and since the late middle ages began to stand on its own as the subject of many Christian works of art.

The scene was probably most famously depicted by Piero della Francesca between 1468 and 1470. Nearly equally famous depictions were made by Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens. In Mexico, the Ecce Homo figure, depicting the moments just after the flagellation, was produced in abundance over the course of the Colonial Period.

The depiction we see here is among the best preserved on the entire Calzada. This is undoubtedly due to the depth of the relief, with Christ shown clearly in the middle of the plane and the two soldiers inflicting the scourging on either side.

The monument is now well within the city limits of the old Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo. It’s just past the 19th-century entrance arch placed here by then-President Santa Anna. Today, that’s the Glorieta with the Monument honoring painter José Maria Velasco. The Second Sorrowful Mystery monument is just before the important cross-avenue, Ing. Alfredo Robles Domínguez.

From here on, the Calazada begins to take on the feel that pilgrims would have experienced. You’re entering a sacred city and each step takes you closer to an ultimate destination.