Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

The Virgin who walked on the shoulders of a devout Indian

Cocharcas, Andahuaylas (Peru) (17th century)

In the district of Cocharcas, in the province of Andahuaylas, in the Peruvian region of Apurímac, there is a Marian shrine born from the love of a humble man. Tradition calls him Sebastián Quimichi, an indigenous man from those Andean lands, who was deeply moved by the Virgin of Copacabana, venerated by Lake Titicaca. He wished to bring an image of the Virgin to his own land, and after much effort and hardship, he succeeded, establishing a shrine in Cocharcas that, over time, acquired its own name: Our Lady of Cocharcas.

The most frequently repeated story recounts that the image was carried on a litter on the shoulders of Quimichi himself, who carried it step by step, stopping at places where the Virgin granted favors, so that her veneration spread along the roads. It is a beautiful image: the Mother advancing slowly, on the shoulders of a poor man, blessing each stop along the way.

One must be cautious with dates and details. There is a solid historical core: an important Marian shrine in Cocharcas, historically linked to the spread of devotion to the Virgin of Copacabana, of which it is considered a local replica or offshoot, and which became a major Andean pilgrimage center with a strong Indigenous and mestizo presence, especially from the 17th century onward. But the details of Sebastián Quimichi's journey, the exact dates of his life and the arrival of the image, and the specific miracles along the way are pious tradition: the primary documentation that confirms them with names and dates is not available in accessible open sources. The honest truth is that a precise chronology is not established.

The festival is usually celebrated around September 8th, linked to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, although the date varies according to local sources and is not definitively established. The devotion arose in an Indigenous-Mestizo community and is still expressed today through dances, pilgrimages on foot, and votive offerings. The Rosary accompanies this devotion, as in all Andean Marian shrines, although there is no record of a specific founding Rosary.