Not every tradition tied to the Day of the Cross is light and cheerful…
Some come with a proper backstory.
This is one of them.
The Setting
La Laguna, late 18th century…
Around what is now the Plaza del Cristo.
Back then, very different place… smaller, quieter, and a lot more personal.
The Story Behind It
At the centre of it all is Maruca…
A young woman from Las Mercedes.
Well known, admired… and with more than a few suitors.
The Problem
One of them…
A corporal.
Didn’t take rejection well.
- Persistent
- Aggressive
- Already had a family elsewhere
And still wouldn’t leave her alone.
The Turning Point
Then comes a young cadet…
They meet, spend time together… nothing dramatic, just interest.
But for the corporal, that was enough.
Jealousy takes over.
And it ends badly.
The cadet is shot and killed on the road.
Justice… or Something Else
The corporal is caught, tried… and sentenced.
And then comes the twist.
Antón… another admirer of Maruca, steps forward.
Volunteers for the firing squad.
On the day of the execution…
One shot ends it.
His shot.
And Then It Gets Heavier
In the crowd…
The corporal’s partner and son.
And from that moment on…
The story doesn’t really end.
It turns into something else entirely.
Resentment… passed down.
Why It Matters
Stories like this sit quietly behind places you walk past every day…
You wouldn’t know unless someone told you.
And once you do…
The place feels slightly different.
Not everything tied to tradition is festive…
Some of it carries a bit of weight.