It is 1754. A violent storm erupts over Ipiales in south Colombia, just seven miles shy of Ecuador. Amerindian Maria Meneses de Quiñones and her deaf-mute daughter Rosa frantically search for shelter, having been caught out in a canyon. Finding a suitable space, the two huddle together between two “laja,” two slabs of flat rock similar to shale or slate.
Suddenly, Rosa points to the wall and shouts, “The Mestiza is calling me.” She’d seen a vision of the Virgin Mary and was pointing to her image.
