Carlos III, Mensaka
In the '90s, the Madrid City Council placed a statue in Puerta del Sol honoring “its best mayor” to a king who gave the city a major boost. Around the same time, the first couriers hit the streets, who have now become a familiar figure in modern urban life.
Everything about Carlos III revolves around the number three. He was king three times over — first in Palma and Plasencia, then in Naples, and finally in Spain, where he arrived after the death of his stepbrother Fernando VI. And three are the statues honoring him in Madrid, the most famous one being the one at Puerta del Sol. Fun fact: even though it looks centuries old, it was actually placed there in the 1990s by popular vote.
After his internship in Naples and Sicily, Carlos III stood out in Spain, where he truly lived up to his wig by practicing an enlightened monarchy “à la française.” It was time to invest in R&D and push through a series of reforms in the country and its capital. He polished Madrid so much that ever since, he’s been known as “the best mayor” of the city — even though he never officially held that title.
“Mírala, mírala, mírala… La Puerta de Alcalá”, sang Ana Belén and Víctor Manuel in the ‘80s. This is one of Carlos III’s most iconic projects, but you can add the Prado Museum, the Botanical Garden, the fountains of Cibeles and Neptune... Also, in the decade of La Movida, a new breed appeared in major cities: motorized messengers. Sure, messengers have existed throughout history, riding horses and delivering scrolls — but now they were on Vespas, Montesas, or Derbis, delivering documents all over the place.
A decade later, Jose Ángel Mañas’ second novel captured the lives of these street workers, and it was turned into a movie called Mensaka. Gustavo Almerón works as a messenger in his twenties and plays drums in a band, dreaming that music will take him off the streets and onto big stages.
Those now in their forties witnessed the next chapter for messengers, with the arrival of the home delivery food concept in Spain. “Telepizza…??? What the f*** is that!? What does pizza have to do with television!?” Fast food had come to challenge the Mediterranean diet, and motorcycles became their greatest allies to deliver straight to your door.
Today, whether on motorbikes, e-scooters, or electric bikes, messengers have taken over our cities — which is why we’ve dressed Carlos III with a helmet and an insulated bag, turning him into a modern-day royal courier.
