WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 6l I 



with the most holy image, he placed it with all due reverence in his 

 village church, which at that time was very poor, and lighted a small 

 lamp before it, praying that She would comfort him and his through 

 Her intercession. 



1624. God, who is admirable in his Saints, wished to demonstrate 

 it, and did in this most holy image ; though placed in humble sur- 

 roundings in this church, its lamp began overflowing with oil just 

 when there was need of it for illumination, because they had none 

 then in that region. With that beginning, devotion to the image 

 started to grow and spread through all the region ; the Indians with 

 lively faith had recourse to it in all their necessities ; and God showed 

 His accustomed mercies to them by the means of this holy image, 

 working many miracles to the good of the Indians, giving them 

 health in their illnesses, heaHng the halt and the maimed, giving 

 sight to the blind and life to the dead. 



In fact, so lavish were its boons that the Indians, who soon realized 

 its charities, and that they were not given with niggard hand or 

 grudgingly, when their llamas were sick, and it might be some of 

 them already dead, used to bring them in before the most holy image 

 and put them there, saying: "Lady, I have no other wealth or 

 strength with which I might serve You, but these ; give them back 

 to me, so that I may better serve You." And God, who makes use 

 of many means for the calling of His own, suiting them to each 

 one's capacities, would heal and revive them through the means of 

 His Most Holy Mother ; for besides His own glory, and the calling 

 of the heathen, He desires that His Mother be reverenced and re- 

 spected on earth. Thus faith was established in those new Christians ; 

 and since many books have been written about the countless miracles 

 which God Our Lord has wrought through the intercession of His 

 Most Holy Mother, I shall mention only one, which happened to 

 a Spaniard named N. Escoto ; this was of the following general nature. 



1625. This Escoto had a few llamas, with which he tried to make 

 a living ; and when he was crossing the Outlet, he saw almost all 

 his stock lost and drowned. In this trial and tribulation he called 

 upon the name of this most holy image, begging its favor in this 

 affliction ; and he promised that if it would free him from it, he 

 would share all the profits he should make from them, with Her 

 Most Holy [Divine] Majesty for the decoration of Her church and 

 that that the Jesuits had started building. God Our Lord who barkens 

 to the cries of His own in order to better demonstrate His marvels, 

 and for the exalting of His Most Holy Name through the intercession 

 of His Most Holy Mother, freed this devout Spaniard from his 



