This grand image shows the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Cocharcas, a town high in the Andes whose buildings and inhabitants are depicted as well. As the Virgin of the Purification (a term that refers to a ceremony in the temple forty days after the birth of Jesus), Mary holds a candlestick and a bouquet of flowers and olives, and both mother and Child wear gold crowns indicating that they are the Queen and Prince of Heaven. The baldachin, or canopy, that covers and protects them is another sign of high status. The vases of roses on the platform typically appear on altars flanking dressed statues. Two angels hold a banner above the scene that translates, "All beautiful is Mary free of original sin," making the image one of the Immaculate Conception as well as of Mary of the Purification.
The text below reads: "The miraculous image of Our Lady of Cocharcas, the year 1765." The painting may commemorate the festival and dedication in 1623 of the church (seen at the right) built to house the statue. Pilgrims from all walks of life gather for a festival, descending the steep mountain path to the left and also arriving in the same type of reed boats that are still used on Lake Titicaca today. The snow present all year round in the high Andes falls gently around them as they prepare for the religious procession that will carry the statue to its new home. These lively little figures also enact events associated with the statue's miraculous powers. A demon pulls a man over the cliff and a Dominican priest pulls him back by the hair
