In 1586, a tribe of newly baptized Indian converts in Ecuador rejoiced to receive a carved wooden statue of the Madonna and Child. The sculptor, Diego de Robles, had already taken this statue to another tribe of Indian converts, but they did not find his work attractive. So he was quite glad to see it so welcomed by this second tribe.

Having no chapel to enshrine it, the Indians reverently put the small sculpture in a rocky niche, in the area where they spent the day working.

As the Indians went about their work, they noticed little birds cheerfully fluttering and chirping around the statue. Inspired by this sweet praise of the birds, the Indians would come together in the evenings before the Madonna and Child. They sang and played songs on their simple instruments. The Heavenly Mother and Son showed Their pleasure with a soft glow that surrounded the statue during these evening serenades.

As time went on, the joy and affection of the Indians toward their Madonna grew strongly. The women made a little garment and dressed the statue. Before long, the sick of the village came and reverently touched this garment, praying for a healing. Miraculous cures took place, the news of which quickly spread. Indians from neighboring tribes all came on pilgrimage to the little wooden statue.

At this point, the people couldn’t be satisfied anymore with a simple outdoor niche. A small chapel was built as a more suitable shrine. But within this simple church, the devout Indians wanted to place their beloved statue in a special place of honor. They remembered the talented man who had carved it in the first place. So Diego de Robles was contacted with the request to build a pedestal for the statue.

But Robles was apparently uninterested in going to the trouble of making and delivering a mere pedestal. He made one excuse after another for delaying the work. He clearly did not realize just how important this task was for the people of Ecuador, and what it meant to Our Lady Herself.

One day, on his way to Quito, Robles rode his horse toward a rope bridge that passed over a swift-moving river. The horse stumbled and his rider was thrown over the railing! The spur of his boot caught onto the rope bridge, saving Robles from falling to his doom. He desperately hung by one foot, terrified to move lest he fall. Being so close to death, the man thought of his own life - especially his most recent mistake in refusing Our Lady’s pedestal. He prayed as never before in his life.

After what felt like an eternity, he was intensely relieved to hear people calling out and coming toward him. He had been found, and was rescued. Of course, he set out at once to construct the desired pedestal.

Of the many miracles in this statue’s history, one of the most outstanding occurred while the chapel was still under construction. Two of the builders, a young married couple, had placed their small child under the shade of a tree to rest. They worked close by, and were suddenly alerted by their baby’s scream. They turned quickly, horrified to see the little one in the jaw of a bear! They rushed after it, joined by their companions. But when they caught up with the child, it was too late. The dead little body was left on the ground.

The heartbroken parents carried the lifeless infant to the Madonna. Everyone prayed fervently. At last, the child opened her eyes, and stretched out her little hands toward the statue. Joy and gratitude surged through the people like never before.

This lovely little statue can still be seen today in the now large and beautiful shrine in Quinche, Ecuador. Endearingly called "La Pequenita," or "The Little Beloved One," Mary continues to bless Her people with graces and miraculous favors. Droughts and diseases have been averted in Ecuador through Her intercession. The people have often made processions in Her honor. Even in this, Her motherly care shows itself by always providing good weather. All these many years, it never rains on a procession day.