Shapes of love in the miracle testimonies of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, New Kingdom of Granada, 1587 to 1694

A trilogy of texts composed between 1587 and 1694 memorialize the origin of and early devotion to the Virgin of Chiquinquirá in the New Kingdom of Granada: an información jurídica (original ecclesiastical investigation of reported miracles ordered by the archbishop of Bogotá); a manuscript collection of 234 miracle testimonies, long-lost and never studied until now; and the first published history of the cult. The devotees whose experiences comprise these texts had turned to Mary of Chiquinquirá with deeply personal needs and received miraculous interventions. Later, they recounted their experiences under oath before witnesses. This essay examines those accounts, finding vestiges of local society and culture and, more importantly, illumination of the testators\u27 enacted feelings about themselves and others. The essay argues that within the intimate space of a spiritual emotional community, miracle testimonies which purport to focus on love for the Virgin of Chiquinquirá actually reveal a great deal about human love