It was designed by the Spanish-Venezuelan sculptor Manuel de la Fuente and opened on 21 December 1983 by President Luis Herrera Campins. The monument stands at about above sea level, in the region named Peña de la Virgen — where it is said that the virgin appeared in the year 1570. From the monument there are spectacular panoramic views of the region: on a clear day, one can see all of the state of Trujillo, parts of the Sierra Nevada de Mérida, and the south coast of Lake Maracaibo.