There is a strange phenomenon in Northwest Argentina, a bizarre shrine to the legend of Deolinda Correa.  During the civil war in the 1840s, Deolinda followed the movements of her husband’s battalion through the mountains and deserts around San Juan.

Unfortunately, Deolinda’s devotion was her demise as she died of thirst and exhaustion in the desert, with her nursing son at her breast.  Amazingly, the boy survived and thus a series of miracles have been attributed to Deolinda over the years.

The supposed place of her death has become a monument  to believers who beseech Deolinda for her supernatural powers. This comes in the form of all types of “gifts” left at the shrine, ranging from car license plates, scale models of a house, casts for broken bones and multitudes of filled water bottles to quench Deolinda’s thirst.  Through these offerings, the devoted seek Deolinda’s blessings of good luck.

 

Although the shrine is the primary site for these gifts, it is not unusual to see offerings along a deserted  road, usually consisting of a small grotto and filled water bottles.  No, Tom & I did not leave any offerings although the “gift” of  fluent Spanish for Lori would have helped a lot!