The story is that she arrived from Spain some 200 years ago in the form of a statue, about 2 feet tall. She was installed in the chapel near the town of Juquila, and many years later, there was a fire. The entire building was destroyed, except for the Virgin. She is no longer one of those pale g ero virgins out of the Iberian culture but, like the more famous Virgin of Guadalupe, has become a dark beauty. Her skin is the color of the rich brown earth that surrounds Juquila.
People come from all over for una promesa.
They promise to make a certain number of visits over the next few years. The visitors come sometimes by car, truck or bus but, as often, on bicycle or on foot. Since Juquila is an isolated place in the mountains, it is no mean trick to get there from the Pacific coast or from central Mexico, no matter how you do it. Supplicants often crawl the last one and a quarter miles from the entry area to the actual statue, and since the path is one of stones, many arrive with bloody knees. Before, during and after the holy day of the Virgin, Dec. 8, there is a terrible crush.