The “Goose game”

On the floor of the “Plaza de la Oca”, pilgrims can walk along the stages of the Camino de Santiago and its most representative monuments. This mosaic was created in 1991 by the artist from Soria, Ricardo González, with the collaboration of sculptors Félix Reyes and Pepe Iglesias.

In the 150 m2 occupied by the gigantic floor painted deck, the geese are mixed with other characteristic elements of the game such as the bridge, the labyrinth or the death, interspersed between the squares that represent significant places of the “Camino de Santiago” as it passes through France, each one of them identified with its corresponding legend. The space is completed by small stone benches in the shape of dice. One of the theories about the origin of the Goose Game is that it was created by the Templars in the 12th century as an encrypted guide to the Way.

On one side stands the Santiago Fountain, also known as the Pilgrim’s Fountain. It consists of a lowered arch, a frieze with two coats of arms and an inscription in alabaster and a triangular pediment finish. Built by Juan Raón in 1675, perhaps on a previous one, it was completely restored and inaugurated in 1986. This goose game is the equivalent of the well known game “snakes and ladders”.