This type of work requires the drive of entrepreneurs who want to create these spaces, because in addition to the spiritual, they also generate economic movement through tourism. Publimetro: What does this rosary contribute to the Cubilete and Guanajuato? Sigifredo Islas: It becomes a very important tourist point. That is the most delicate part and I believe it was achieved. Publimetro: What was the technical process of a work of this scale like? Sigifredo Islas: It was a process with very tight deadlines. I made the proposal for the rosary and when I presented it to him, he was very moved, he told me it was exactly what he had been looking for for all those years. Publimetro: How long did it take to complete the work? Sigifredo Islas: Roughly, it was a year of work. These are moments where it is necessary to provoke faith, create spiritual spaces. This seeks precisely that: for people to have a point of encounter with the sacred. Publimetro: What was most important to you in the creative process? Sigifredo Islas: My main concern was to achieve the expression of the faces, both of the Virgin of Guadalupe and the divine face: that they convey mercy, passion, and suffering. Regardless of faith, religious tourism contributes a lot to the economy and gives greatness to the place. Publimetro: What new projects do you have in the works? Sigifredo Islas: I am working on the 'Virgin of the Wall', a project that will be presented on April 23 in Santo Coyote, in Guadalajara, and on April 30 at the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, within an event called 'Brilliant Minds'. Publimetro: What motivates you to keep creating this type of work? Sigifredo Islas: To provoke faith, hope, and not abandon the spiritual. I believe that today more than ever, these spaces and expressions are needed. The sculptor Sigifredo Islas explains what he considers the greatest work of his career: the Monumental Guadalupan Rosary of the Cerro del Cubilete, in Guanajuato, a work of unprecedented scale that connects the tradition of Easter Sunday with a bet on religious tourism and the local economy. The work, conceived by the Guanajuato entrepreneur Elías Villegas and carried out by Islas, is inserted in one of the most important points of pilgrimage in Mexico, where every year thousands of people come for religious, cultural, or tourist reasons. 'It is a door of hope,' explained Islas in a telephone interview, highlighting that the work seeks to provoke reflection, but also to generate an open meeting point. Publimetro: How did this monumental rosary project begin? Sigifredo Islas: They initially contacted me to make only the beads of the rosary. When we talked, he explained that it was not just the beads, but the complete rosary, something he had been wanting to do for 20 years and that no one had managed to materialize for him. Publimetro: What happened when you saw the complete proposal? Sigifredo Islas: He asked me to show him an idea in a few days. The work was already finished, but it was not shown to the public because there were still details of placement left to do due to terrain and construction issues around it. Publimetro: Since when can it be visited? Sigifredo Islas: It has been open to the public for almost two years, once enough progress had been made on the space where the congregation that guards it is located. Publimetro: You speak of faith and hope, what does this work represent? Sigifredo Islas: It is a door of hope. Others may come later, but this one has a special meaning for everything it represents. Publimetro: What role does the private initiative play in this type of project? Sigifredo Islas: It is fundamental. The casting, the modeling, and everything that a work of this magnitude involves has many difficulties, but a year to achieve it is really very little time for something of this scale. Publimetro: Is it your most important work to date? Sigifredo Islas: Yes, at this moment it is the most important. After a while, they contacted me again and I asked to speak directly with the interested person.
