'Virgin of the Angels') is Costa Rica's patron saint, also known as la negrita (lit.

[1] According to tradition, la negrita is a small (about 3 inches (7.6 cm)), probably indigenous or mixed race, representation of the Virgin Mary found on 2 August 1635 by a native woman named Juana Pereira.

La negrita now resides on a gold, jewel-studded platform at the main altar in the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles in Cartago.

Each 2 August, on the anniversary of the statuette's discovery, pilgrims travel 22 kilometres (14 mi) from San José to the basilica.

[3] Pope Pius XI authorized the canonical coronation of the image.