Sorrowful Mystery #4

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery is among the best-known of the 1999-replacement monuments along the Calzada de los Misterios. It depicts The Carrying of the Cross which already lends itself to relating the tale of the many pilgrims who undertake their own journeys, whether here or in Lourdes or in Santiago de Compostela.

Here, the particularly graphic quality of the image helps the monument to stand out. It’s one of 15 total Mysteries of the Rosary. An original eight monuments remain from the late 17th century. The remaining seven, like this one, were replaced between 1997 and 1999 as the street was modernized and remodeled.

Today, it’s part of a popular walk for international visitors as well for the thousands of pilgrims who still arrive to visit the Basilica of Guadalupe. The restaurant directly behind the monument can’t help but benefit from the foot traffic. As the ninth of 15 monuments, it’s also the halfway point.

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery monument stands just to the south of the intersection with the Calle Excélsior. Particularly lively in this area, the street bears the name an an old shoe factory, one of many manufacturers that made their homes here, or nearby, in the early 20th century. Nearly every street in the neighborhood has a similar name. The neighborhood also bears the distinction of a wealth of unique homes, small businesses, and walkable streets.