God’s poor woman
The statue of the Virgin of the Assumption in the church of St. Bernardino of Siena in Tetiz is an image both beloved and revered by the locals. The origin of the carving, also known as God’s Poor Woman, is unknown. One strory, or legend rather, is related by bishop Crescencio Carrillo y Ancona in his book History of the Bishopric of Yucatan and describes her presence in the town, and the origin of the church which stands today.
The clergyman author tells how Francisco de San Buenaventura Martínez de Tejada was named bishop of Yucatan in 1745. In June 1746 he took office, and in December of that year visited Tetiz, which at that time was a small village with its church almost in ruins. There he saw the image of the Virgin and recognised, by the tattered dress the figure wore, a woman with a child whom he had attended at the gate of the Franciscan Recollects monastery of Our Lady of Loreto, in Seville, 16 years earlier in 1730.
The woman, despite her simple, faded clothes, was beautiful, with an air of nobility and greatness, as was the child who held her hand. She asked the friar for help to rebuild the house where she lived with her son, which she told him was in ruins. The friar gave her a gold coin, and the woman thanked him, and told him that they would meet again. 16 years later, when bishop Martínez de Tejada looked at the statue more closely, he saw at its feet the coin that he had given the destitute woman. Thereupon he ordered the construction of a church, and a camarín for the Virgin.
The image is characterized by the elegance of the dresses that the Virgin dons on different occasions, including the traditional costume of Yucatan, which can be all-white, or adorned with the classic multi-colored floral pattern; and by the beauty of the jewels she wears. She stands on the high altar of the church, where she can be visited.
Our Lady of the Assumption is the patron saint of Tetiz, and greatly revered both in the town and further afield. The statue is frequently taken to visit nearby villages, and even some places further away, such as Merida, where the faithful gather to honor her. Her feast day is the 15th of August.
According to the Cordemex Maya Dictionary, Tetiz means “choose or pick sweet potatoes” from the roots tet, choose, and iz sweet potato. It is located 26 kilometers (16 miles) west of Merida.
Bishop Martínez de Tejada is one of the historical figures most closely linked to the statue. Besides ordering the construction of Tetiz church, he also founded the Yucatan Conciliar Seminary on the 24th of March 1751.
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