Architects: Christ & Gantenbein.
Location: Cerro del Obispo, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
Year: 2012.
Photographs: Iwan Baan.

The Jalisco tourism office resolved to create a better infrastructure for pilgrims and draw visitors from around the world. Nine landmarks were designed by Dellekamp Arquitectos, Rozana Montiel, Alejandro Aravena, HHF architects, Luis Aldrete, Tatiana Bilbao, Ai Weiwei, Godoylab and Christ & Gantenbein. The column on the peak of the Cerro del Obispo protrudes like a huge bone out of the woody landscape above the valley of Ameca. The pilgrims’ column is an architectural object that marks a special spot in the landscape and gives people a new view of their surroundings. It is an example of architecture without any symbolism and iconographic intentions and serves as a reference location for the collective and lively experience of the pilgrimage. It is a powerful place for the individual experience as well as a collective centre of a spirited society.