Our Lady of Cocharcas on the Altar

Indigenous traditions gave rise to distinctly Spanish American iterations of Catholic faith. In the stories of local cults, Christianized Indians figure prominently as witnesses to miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary and demonstrations of her healing powers.

This painting shows a statue of Our Lady of Cocharcas, whose cult following developed after Sebastián Quimichi, a young Indian, made a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Copacabana. He purchased a replica of the miraculous statue and returned to his hometown of Cocharcas, where it was the source of miracles and developed a cult following as Our Lady of Cocharcas. A narrative scene at the bottom of the altar on which the statue stands shows Quimichi, his importance emphasized by his exaggerated size.