The Virgin Mary delivers besieged Christians in Cusco, Peru

Summary:

In May 1538, the Spaniards in Cusco were preparing to perish, trapped by the incendiary weapons of the Indians commanded by Manco Capac II. Yet, at this time, Cusco was far from being devoid of leaders and resources: two years earlier, the conquistador Francisco Pizarro had entered the city. Relations with Spain had been established. The Castilian government was aware of the power of the Natives, who were opposed to their presence on Peruvian soil. 

The indigenous fighters decided to destroy the Spaniards and, with them, the Catholic faith. The forces at play were totally unbalanced: the Spaniards had seen their numbers dwindle over the weeks; Pizarro's army numbered just 180 men, while Manco Capac's warriors numbered several thousand, fully armed, and knowing the terrain inside out.

Many times attacked by the Natives, the Spaniards were besieged in a district of Cusco known as Suntur-Huasi. They could neither escape nor, of course, fight back. Their fate was sealed. They began to pray, awaiting death under a deluge of fire. Then, in Suntur-Huasi, the Blessed Virgin Mary, accompanied by the Child Jesus, appeared in an extraordinary light. The apparition was not an individual visionary phenomenon: many people, Spaniards and Incas alike, saw the Virgin Mary.

Within minutes, the military situation was reversed: the Indians' incendiary weapons lost all effectiveness, the flames were extinguished without any natural cause, and the Spaniards regained the upper hand, driving off their opponents, dismayed by the sudden uselessness of their weapons.

The unbelievable happened: victory went to the Spaniards, without any human element having reversed the logical course of events.

From that day on, Spaniards and Natives alike venerated the Virgin Mary. The latter called her Pacha Tacctacc, the "Lady who walks this ground", to signify that Mary had trodden the soil of their native land. It is under the title of "Our Lady who descends" that the Mother of God has never ceased to be honored in Cusco. 

Just five months after the event, the first Catholic church in the city was built on the site of the apparition. This quick action underscores the veracity of the facts (it is unlikely that a place of worship was officially built and maintained on the basis of a non-existent or false claim), and the importance of these events for both the native and Spanish populations. It was around the new chapel that all of Cusco's religious, civic and economic life was organized.

It has been claimed that historians lacked serious documentation. However, Bishop Bernardino, the episcopal administrator, wrote an extremely detailed letter to Emperor Charles V about the apparition and its happy consequences. The document is well known and preserved. 

Furthermore, the decades that followed the event confirmed the apparition's importance throughout Peru. In 1541, a plot of land (Cusipata) was acquired to build a new edifice to replace the original chapel. A pilgrimage began, attracting an ever-increasing number of pilgrims, to such an extent that in 1552, a new site had to be chosen for the future construction site, which began in 1559, under the personal initiative of the viceroy of Peru, Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza.

The walls of the new building, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, bear inscriptions recounting the apparition and defeat of the Incas: "In this place, the Virgin Mary set foot [...]. She came down from heaven and gave victory at the time of the conquest, putting the Indians to flight and extinguishing their fire." It is strictly impossible that the authorities, both religious and political, from Madrid to Rome, would have left such inscriptions if the apparition were nothing more than a rumor! What's more, the Church instituted a liturgical feast in honor of Our Lady of the Descent, celebrated on May 23.

Finally, the popes have always cherished the site: on September 8, 1536, Pope Paul III erected Cusco as a diocese. Since then, Cusco has attracted countless pilgrims. In the 20th century, the pilgrimage was still as popular, and, in 1928, Pius XI elevated the Cathedral of the Assumption to the rank of minor basilica. On February 3, 1985, Saint John Paul II delivered a homily at the Cathedral, focusing on the faithful of indigenous origin.

Beyond reasons to believe:

It was from and on the basis of this apparition that the Catholic faith developed in Cusco and throughout the Inca Empire at an unthinkable pace.

Going further:

Article that mentions the role of the image of Our Lady “La Misionera” in the victory of the Spaniards in the siege of Cusco and the building of the church of the Triumph in Cusco

More information:

G. Bonaño, "Las apariciones de la Virgen Maria y la liturgia", in Las Apariciones marianas en la vida de la Iglesia, Estudios marianos, vol. 52, Salamanca, 1987, p. 141.