Celebrate the Virgin Where She Appeared at Pinto Lake

The spirit of the Virgin of Guadalupe will be celebrated by Mexicans around the world this weekend.

In Watsonville, the large Latino community will mark the special day with Mass, prayer and song—and also pilgrimage to where, 18 years ago, a woman saw an apparition of the Virgin in the trunk of an oak tree.

Called Our Lady of Watsonville, Anita Contreras first saw the image in the tree bark on June 17, 1993, as she knelt to pray for her children.

The location, on the north side of the lake, has become an altar to the Virgin. Over the years, thousands of people have come to pay homage to the image and pray for their children.

Watch a YouTube video about the Our Lady of Watsonville in Spanish.

Here's a YouTube video in English.

White bleachers ring one side of the altar and banners in white, green and red—the colors of the Mexican flag—flitter from the trees. Flowers, candles, trinkets and notes adorn the site. Photos are as common as ultrasound images.

Friday, families made the quarter-mile walk from the parking lot at Pinto Lake County Park to pay tribute to the Virgin. Some brought flowers and lit candles. Parents crossed themselves in front of the shrine and prayed silently while their young children played on the benches, which overlook the shallow, tranquil lake.

Contreras's sighting in Watsonville is less well-known than that of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The tradition states that 480 years ago young indigenous man in Mexico named Juan Diego encountered the Virgin Mary and she instructed him to have the Catholic bishop build her a church. As the story goes, the bishop didn't believe the young man and asked for proof. The Virgin made flowers bloom in the winter, which young Juan brought back to the bishop to authenticate his story. When Juan opened his coat, the flowers fell out and an image of the Virgin was visible inside his cloak. 

Juan Diego first saw the Virgin Mary on Dec. 9, 1531. She appeared on his cloak three days later, on Dec. 12, and the event has been celebrated by Mexican Catholics on that date ever since.

Visit the Virgin shrine at Pinto Lake or attend Mass to mark the celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Watsonville:

• north of town on East Lake Avenue holds Mass several times a day, including Sunday night and at dawn Monday. Call 831-722-2665 for time and language (English, Spanish, Portuguese).
• holds Mass on Saturday evenings and Sundays. Call 831-724-1317 for times and language (English, Spanish or bilingual). The church is at Freedom Boulevard and Main Street.