Don Diego’s Statue of the Madonna and Child

In the North Chapel of the beautiful cathedral of city of Santa Fe (USA) stands a small statue of the Madonna and Child. The Virgin Mary is clad in a richly embroidered dress, topped by a jewelled crown. Her regal countenance wears a serene, detached expression that is strangely impressive. This is the statue that Don Diego de Vargas carried with him in the bloodless reconquest of New Mexico in 1692 (following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680). He vowed to build a chapel for Our Lady and hold a yearly procession if she would grant him a speedy and bloodless victory over the Pueblo Indians, which she did. The Shrine of Our Lady of the Conquest symbolizes a spirit of deep-rooted faith and devotion that characterized the Conquistadores of this territory. The conquest is commemorated during the Fiestas de Santa Fe beginning in early January each year.