Burgos - Arco de Santa María

At the near end of the Paseo, opposite the Puente de Santa María, is the Arco de Santa María (originally 14th century, rebuilt in 1552), a massive town gate flanked by two semicircular towers, best seen from the bridge over the Arlanzón. The entrance to the town is guarded by statues of Castilian heroes and kings: in the center of the lower row is Diego Porcelos, the town's founder, flanked by Nuño Rasura and Lain Calvo, the first judges of Castile, and in the upper row (from right to left) the Cid, the Emperor Charles V and Count Fernán González. Through the arch is the Plaza del Rey San Fernando, on the south side of the cathedral.