Zariquiegui to Alto Del Perdón

We left our albergue at dark climbing 1 1/2 miles up a steep set of switchbacks in hopes of arriving at Alto de Perdón, the Mount of Forgiveness for sunrise.

Inscribed on the sculpture are the words: Donde se cruza el camino del viento con el de las estrellas — “where the path of the wind crosses with that of the stars.”

The sculpture exhibits a small history of pilgrims and the pilgrimage…through various stages of development, from the beginning in the Middle Ages up to the present day, in the form of a procession.

Of the twelve pilgrims, the first pilgrim appears to be searching for the route and symbolizes the beginning of interest in the pilgrimage. Next is a group of three that depicts the growth or rise in popularity of the Camino. These three are followed by another group depicted as merchants or tradesmen on horseback that symbolize the medieval era of merchants hawking their wares to the pilgrims. Spaced away from them is a solitary figure that characterizes the decline in pilgrimages due to political, religious, and social unrests from the mid-fourteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. At the very end of the procession are two modern-day figures depicted to show the renewed interest and rise in popularity of the pilgrimage in the late twentieth century.

It was a truly amazing place to watch the new day begin 🌅Read more