The Virgin of Caacupé

Image of Tupãsy Ka’akupe.

Tupãsy Ka’akupe (in Spanish: Virgin of Caacupé or Virgin of the Miracles of Caacupé) is an image of the Virgin Mary (mother of Jesus of Nazareth), who is venerated in the town of Caacupé, in the Cordillera Department of Paraguay. A Catholic basilica was built there on December 8, 1765. To this day, Paraguayans from all over walk there to demonstrate their faith. Pope Francis, when he visited Paraguay, declared the Caacupé church a basilica after the grand mass held on July 11, 2015, making it one of two basilicas in Paraguay.

In 1912, a silver reliquary was made for the image of Tupãsy Ka’akupe, to carry the statue. It was crafted by Félix Granda and is still used today in celebrations honoring the image.

History

In the town of Tobatí (near Caacupé), founded around 1600, there lived a Guaraní sculptor named José, a Guaraní native who had converted through the Franciscan mission there. One day, returning from the Ytú Valley forests with a large piece of high-quality wood, he told how he had encountered the Mbayá natives (a tribe that had decided to fight against Spanish and Portuguese colonization), whom he considered very dangerous.

The native ran and found a thick tree trunk behind which he hid. At that moment, he promised that if he survived, he would carve an image of the Virgin from the protective tree’s wood. The Mbayás passed by without noticing his presence, and the native, grateful, took the wood from the tree as soon as he could return and used it to carve the statue.

The trunk provided enough wood for two carvings: the larger one was destined for the Church of Tobatí, and the smaller one was kept by the native for his personal devotion.

The Jesuit missionaries said that at the exact site of the appearance, miraculous water had sprung up, which helped the Guaraní people survive the summer heat.

Pilgrims in front of the Caacupé sanctuary

Years later, the great flood that created Lake Ypacaraý threatened to destroy the nearby towns. The Franciscan friars, accompanied by the inhabitants of the region, organized prayers asking for the calming of the waters. Father Luis de Bolaños blessed the waters, and — as happens every year — they receded to their current limits. It was then that an image of the Virgin, said by the priests to be the one from the Tobatí mission, the same one that the native José had carved years earlier, appeared floating in a wooden box. From that time, the people called her the Virgin of the Miracles of Ka’akupé. A 1769 document found in the National Archives states that Father Roque Melgareco, a missionary from the Tobatí Doctrina, donated to the inhabitants of Caacupé an image of the Immaculate Conception and a piece of land for the construction of a temple in her honor. (Margarita Duran Estragó and others, History of the Church in Paraguay, Ed. Tiempo de Historia, Asunción 2014, p. 186). In other documents from those years, the area was already known as the Valley of Caacupé. April 4, 1770, is taken as the reference date for the founding of the town of this name. The humble and “unknown” José, known only by his first name with no surname, represents all Guaraní Christians. The mythical narrative speaks of their pilgrimages, the mortal dangers they faced, and their devotion to the Immaculate Virgin, the Tupäsy (Mother of God), who took the place of the mythical Ñandesy of their ancestors. In the story, there are no apparitions or visions, no messages or missions. There are only two miracles of salvation (from enemies and from the flood). Margot Bremer, an indigenous theologian, speaks of a “symbolic-religious condensation of history from the Guaraní perspective” (see Margot Bremer, The Bible and the Indigenous World, CONAPI, Asunción 1998, p. 147).

Thus, the smaller image, Our Lady of the Miracles of Caacupé, “became greater due to the abundance of her blessings and her faithful.” As for the larger carving, it is believed to have been looted by the Mbayás.

The Legend of The Virgin of Caacupé

It is said that in Tobatí there was an indigenous man named José, skilled in carving all kinds of wooden images. His skill was well-known, and it’s said that the Franciscans living in the area baptized him, leading José to have deep faith in Christ and the Virgin.

One day, José went out in search of wood for his work. As he walked through the forest, he suddenly felt surrounded by something—likely the Guaicurú people, who were not friendly toward him. They saw José and quietly approached, intending to kill him. Feeling their presence, José became terrified and began to run through the forest. He found a large tree and hid behind it, praying to the Virgin: “Great Mother, help me, and if I survive, I will carve your image from this very tree.”

At that moment, the Guaicurú people passed by without seeing or sensing José. He gave thanks to the Virgin, went home, and began his work in recognition of her help. He made two images: a larger one, which he left in Tobatí, and a smaller one, which was taken to Caacupé and is the one most venerated today.