'In my village we are very devoted to Our Lady of Candelaria, so this sculpture is my way of honoring her,' says Jose Canil Ramos with pride and devotion. The Virgin of Candelaria is celebrated on February 2nd, which is when people put away the nativity scenes and thus concludes the Christmas celebrations. In Guatemala, she is the patron saint of the cities of Chiantla, Colotenango and Jacaltenango (of the Huehuetenango region) and Cunén (of the El Quiché region). Canil carves this admirable pinewood sculpture by hand and paints her with delicate and sublime detail. Finally, he treats the sculpture to achieve an antique finish.

• materials: Pinewood
• Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly