of devotees. Venezuela The Story of the Prodigy One day in November 1709 (1749 according to other versions), a woman washing her clothes by the shores of Lake Maracaibo saw a small, wooden tablet floating towards her. She picked it up thinking it might be of some use, and took it home with her, along with the clothes. The following morning while preparing coffee, she heard knocks as if somebody was calling her. She went to see and was astonished to find the tablet shining, the image of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá now upon it. A variation says the woman first saw no more than the outline of the Virgin on the tablet, and for this reason hung it on a wall of her house; on Monday, 18 November, she heard the knocking and strange noises coming from inside her house, and saw the tablet dazzlingly bright, with lights like a rainbow. Surprised and filled with strong emotion, she ran out of her house, shouting “¡Milagro! ¡Milagro!” – hence the name "El Milagro" (“The Miracle”) given to the avenue where the visionary's house stood. Later on, many people arrived to witness it. From that day on, the inhabitants of the state of Zulia in Venezuela, where Maracaibo is situated, found their Queen in what they call the “Chinita”. As it has been expressed by many people, “She is the way that leads to Jesus”. To this day, the tablet, still bearing the image on it, can be seen in the Basilica of Maracaibo. Legend has it that the government decided the image belonged in the capital city, Caracas, so they ordered it moved. As soldiers were to take the image away, it grew heavier and heavier until no man could lift it. The soldiers promptly returned it to the Basilica, where it has remained since. The Wooden Tablet, the Crown and the Square The tablet depicting the image of the Virgin Mary was first taken to a small sanctuary built to honor San Juan de Dios and later, under the rule of the governor Francisco de la Roche Ferrer, a bigger chapel was erected to venerate the newly found image of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá. The tablet remained there until the final stage of the Basilica was completed in 1858. The tablet is relatively small. The dimensions are: 26 centimeters wide by 25 centimeters long and 3 millimeters deep. The