Peruvian Road Cross (Cruz del Camino)

Exit McKenna Hall via the door opposite the road. Once outside, take the path to the left. When the path begins to curve before the arched structure with purple flowers, follow the curve until you see the double doors of DeBartolo Hall to your right. Enter DeBartolo Hall and head straight down the hallway. The next crucifix will be on your right in Room 113.

Because of summer AV work, you may encounter workers in this room.

Starting in the 16th century, Spanish settlers placed crucifixes along roads to protect travelers in Peru. Representation of road crosses incorporates a set of standard symbols, including the face of Christ, the sun, the moon, the INRI sign and a rooster, a ladder, a spear, and the pole with the vinegar sponge.

Every year, the Huncayo region celebrates the May Cross festival to honor St. Helena’s discovery of the cross at Calvary Hill.

This crucifix was designed by Pedro González Paucar, from the Andean city Huancayo (Junín, Peru). In 2013, the Peruvian Congress and the Ministry of Foreign Commerce and Tourism honored González Paucar with the Joaquín López Antay award for distinguished Peruvian artisans.

González Paucar learned the trade from his grandfather, master Pedro Abilio González Flores. Seeking to protect the work of local artists, in 1977 he founded the Regional Association of Artisans Kamaq Maki.

"I continue to work on crosses, because I do not want to detach myself from their rich heritage," Paucar said in 2011.

Exit Room 113 and turn right. The next crucifix will be in Room 108, which is on your right.