Saint: Nuestra Señora de San Juan de los Lagos/
Our Lady of Saint John of the Lakes

Laguna Santero, New Mexico, Circa 1795 Gesso and water-soluble paint on wood History Collection NMHM, 2007.32.198

In 1542, a Spanish priest, Father Miguel de Bologna, brought an image of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception to the town of San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico. Years later—in 1623—the legend recounts that the daughter of Tarascan Indian parents fell gravely ill, and her death was imminent. However, after the parents earnestly prayed to the Virgin, their daughter was saved. Since then it has become a major pilgrimage site that draws hundreds of thousands annually.