18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
Candles
A member of the faithful lights a votive candle in the shrine of Nuestra Señora del Agua Santa (Our Lady of Holy Water) in Baños, Ecuador, the country's gateway to the Amazon region. The shrine, or more precisely, the Virgin Mary has been credited with a countless number of miracle cures, hence the tradition of votive candles, either to tender a request for intercession or to offer gratitude for a request that had been granted. The town is nestled along the Pastaza River in a valley beneath the active volcano Tungurahua that in recent years has erupted, forcing the town's evacuation. Eruptions centuries earlier were largely responsible for the belief that the Virgin watched out for the town and its residents.
Photo Detail
Date Taken: | 02.2019 |
Date Uploaded: | 11.2020 |
Photo Location: | Baños, Ecuador |
Camera: | NIKON D5500 |
Copyright: | © ralph blessing |