Alejandro Ramírez finds inspiration in the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Juan Diego for this moving cedar wood panel. It is said that Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego atop a mountain, and asked him to tell the bishop to build a cathedral for her on that site. The bishop would not believe him, so Our Lady of Guadalupe told Juan Diego to pick the Castillian roses growing there as a sign, for these flowers did not grow on such arid land. When Juan Diego opened his cloak, the roses fell out revealing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe has since been named the Patron Saint of the Americas, and Juan Diego was canonized Saint by John Paul II. Ramírez paints the panel with oils and decorates it with bronze leaf.
