Itatí is a guarani word which is composed of «Ita» (rock) and «tí» (white, for the color of the lime deposits there).

Then they questioned the precise location of the apparition of the Itatí Virgin, and claimed to have found another rock from which a bright light and a surnatural sound emanated.

The shrine played a central role in reducing the water currents of the region to enable settlements to be built.

[2][1] According to legend, the wooden representation of the Virgin Mary saved the life of 17th-century Jesuit missionary, Luis de Bolaños, known for his attempts to convert the natives to Catholicism.

[2] The shrine and its dome are one of the largest Catholic pilgrimage sites in Argentina, visited by about 300,000 pilgrims annually.