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This morning we went to Cartago to see the basilica. Cartago has been the center of Catholicism in Costa Rica for years. Supposedly, a black image of the "Virgin Mary" appeared to a a lady here in 1635. Three times she took the image home and each time it reappeared in the exact same spot she had found it. The basilica shows some of the interesting contradictions in Catholicism. Below you can see a depiction of the coronation of Mary as "Queen of Heaven" by God the Father and Jesus. We asked a man outside if he could ask God to answer his peticions. "Oh sure," he said, "but we also ask the Virgin. She's healed me of various infirmities. You just have to have faith in her." Below are several pictures from my experience. You can see people walking on their knees to the front of the building . . . whether out of gratitude or in hopes of receiving a favor from the Virgin I don't know. There's also a photo of the holy water, which the Virgin supposedly supplies. We saw several people come down and wash different parts of their body with the water.
