‘Our ladies’ was presented in Corferias as an emotional literary and visual journey through the miraculous virgins of Colombia, which reveals popular devotion and symbolism through 37 Marian warnings.
The author of the book ‘Our Ladies’, Germán Izquierdo, and photographer Juan Esteban Duque joined to offer through a text and an image, a moving portrait of Marian devotion in Colombia. Photo: supplied to Boyacá sie7e days
*POR: Nury Vargas
Last Friday, May 2, the Great Hall A de Corferias witnessed the emotional launch of ‘Our Ladies’, a tour of Colombia and its miraculous virgins, a book that promises to excite and reveal the deep connection of the Colombian people with the Virgin Mary.
The author, Germán Izquierdo, journalist and writing manager of the magazine Change, joined the award -winning photographer Juan Esteban Duque (winner of the Indigo Award Award). The presentation of the work was in charge of Sigrid Castañeda, head of the Education Section of the Museums of the Bank of the Republic and prologue of the book.
The book on a narrative and visual trip through 37 advocations of the Virgin Mary venerated in the villages of Colombia. “In every town I visited, I discovered that, far from being a distant deity, the Virgin is a friend and confidant whom the faithful tell her sorrows and needs with a naturalness and a love that softens hearts,” left left in the introduction of this book, which is a passionate chronicle of a devoted country.
The book is not a religious text strictly, but a deep exploration of the symbolic and emotional power of devotional practices in Colombia. Relatives miracles, apparitions and moving testimonies of people who claim to have been saved by the Virgin in borderline situations: diseases, accidents, robberies or even crossed fires.
The book on a narrative and visual trip through 37 advocations of the Virgin Mary venerated in the villages of Colombia. Photo: supplied to Boyacá sie7e days
In the pages of this work the reader can discover why Lucho Herrera dedicated his victory in the return to Spain of 1987 to the Virgin of Chiquinquirá; how Diomedes Díaz expressed his devotion to the Virgen del Carmen; In how the Virgin of Tutazá, according to tradition, intervened in favor of Simón Bolívar during the battle of the Pantano de Vargas; And how Gabriel García Márquez appointed one of his characters inspired by the Virgen de los Remedios.
Duke’s images complement the text with a visual force that captures the essence of the celebrations and faces of the popular faith. Sigrid Castañeda, in his prologue, summarizes it like this: “This book is not a religious text, but a journey through the power of devotional practices, where the impossible seems to become possible.”
‘Our ladies’, was edited and published by Editorial Monigote, an independent stamp specialized in illustrated books on Colombia, and its launch included a signing of specimens that extended with enthusiasm until 6:30 pm, leaving a mark among the attendees.
With seven years of work behind, this work is consolidated as a tribute to devotion, tradition and stories that are part of the Colombian soul.
*Editor of Boyacá sie7e days.
