The tomb of Mencía Enríquez de Toledo, from the monastery of San Francisco de Cuéllar, exemplifies the skill with which Spanish sculptors worked circa 1500, particularly on the effigies. Those at the Hispanic Society are among the most important in the United States. Spain would not allow any art of this tomb to be exported now.

Funerary monuments should not be considered religious monuments, but rather pieces of art which were designed for the sake of the deceased. Nobles wanted to have a good reputation after they died. Fame was often considered a way to mock death, because remembrance of the deceased would endure in the minds of the living. Construction of an impressive wall tomb as the monument was meant to strike the viewers with its greatness, and the reputation of the person who died. Charles Pratt Huntington designed the building.