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| Famous Place in Bolivia |
Along the southern shores of Lake Titicaca, the town of Copacabana is most well known for its Christian pilgrimage shrine of the Virgen de la Candelaria, also called the ‘Dark Virgin.’ Before the Christian use of the site there was an Inca Temple of the Sun, from which native pilgrims sailed to the sacred islands of the Sun and the Moon. According to Christian legends, in 1576 some Inca fisherman were caught in a raging storm upon Lake Titicaca. While praying for divine assistance, Mary appeared and led them to safety. In gratitude they decided to build a simple shrine and install a statue of the Madonna. The native Inca craftsman, Tito Yupanqui sculpted the image, made of dark wood and approximately four feet tall, in 1576. Placed in a
