The city of Zacatecas dominates a high mountain 2,667 m high with a large ridge of living rock called La Bufa. The count of Santiago de la Laguna, Don José de Rivera Bernárdez, historian of the city and devotee of the Virgin, had the beautiful illusion of building a chapel on the hill of La Bufa, in which an image of the Blessed One would be venerated, as a plastic expression of the events that began the fabulous history of Zacatecas, on September 8, 1546.
Count Rivera built and dedicated the Chapel of La Bufa, with the title of Patronage, in memory of having been where the Spanish settled their royal was the same where the natives had their strength. The chapel underwent important restoration works and was reopened in 1729.
Regarding the origin of the Virgin, which is very large and of good size, there are three versions: the priest Bezanilla y Mier mentions that Don Diego de Ibarra brought her in his army. José de Refugio Gasca - also prebistero - replicates the above and points out that it was King Felipe II, who sent it, and Ernesto de la Torre states that it was a gift made in 1586 to the Real de Minas by the Bishop of Guadalajara. Although there are several stories in relation to its origin, the Virgin of Patrocinio continues to be an image that moves one to veneration, which instills devout feelings and full of consolation.
On the death of Count of Santiago de la Luna (1762), who was in charge of the maintenance of the temple, the sacristan of the sanctuary "tempted by the devil" stole the image of the Virgin and fled to the city. When committing the sacrilege the bells of all the churches began to ring without the bell ringers intervening, full of fear he deposited the image at the doors of the church of Los Remedios.
It was until September 10, 1795 that a large procession left the church of La Merced that led the image to its chapel. It is worth highlighting its façade in the early 18th century baroque, which shows the Virgin in high relief with the child on her arm, surrounded by rays, on a background of rocks with some wild plants; at his feet is a cherub with its wings spread like a shelf. From a sphere with the cross some thick moldings descend in great undulating movement, forming a kind of curtain for the Virgin, on whose sides you can see skylights resembling lattices, one has the moon and the other the sun.
