Our Lady of the Rosary with the Child, Saint Barbara and Saint Isidro Labrador

During the colonial period, votive offerings were common, images that were commissioned a gratitude for a miracle received or to ask for divine intercession when facing a problem. This image can be considered a votive offering due to the particularities of its iconography.

Being an element of utmost importance for the Order of Preachers and the process of evangelization in America, in this case, the Virgin is shown with a rosary around her torso.

Wearing rich robes, she carries a staff in her right hand and holds the Child with her left arm.

Above her head, two angels hold a golden crown while they place two other laurel wreaths on the two saints who accompany her at her sides. These elements allude to the triumph of faith. A white dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, accompanies the scene.

On the left, we see Saint Barbara, patron saint of storms. The cult of this princess from the city of Nicomedia (a city located in modern-day Turkey) was very popular in Europe and America, as her image was associated with rains and agricultural cycles.

Here, she is represented with her main attributes: a tower with three windows —in which her father imprisoned her after she converted to Christianity — and a palm leaf, a symbol of the martyrdom she experienced when, after refusing to leave her faith, died at the hands of her father.

To the right of the image, you can see Saint Isidore the Labourer, a 12^th century Madrid peasant. He is known as the patron saint of farmers. He was especially invoked during droughts or when rains threatened to destroy crops.

Saint Isidore carries a plow in his arms, his main attribute. According to various legends, after the saint's continuous prayers, the angels helped him in his agricultural work, a gesture that is represented at the saint's feet.

The appearance of Saint Barbara and Saint Isidore next to the Virgin shows the fact that the image was intended to receive some favor of protection for future harvests or to give thanks for some environmental event that occurred in the past.