"A crucifix of mud and grass, found in a river, that has drawn millions for over four centuries"
Our Lord of the Miracles of Buga
Calle del Cauca, Calle del Cauca, Colombia
In the Basilica of Our Lord of the Miracles of Buga, a crucifix made of mud and dried grass occupies a golden shrine above the main altar. No one knows who made it, how it came to be in the Guadalajara River, or why its fragile materials have endured for more than four hundred years. Approximately 3.5 million pilgrims visit annually, making Buga one of the most active pilgrimage sites in Latin America.
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Quick Facts
Location
Calle del Cauca, Calle del Cauca, Colombia
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
3.9009, -76.2978
Last Updated
Mar 29, 2026
The devotion to the Señor de los Milagros began with the discovery of a mysterious crucifix in a river around 1573 and has grown over four centuries into one of Latin America's most important Catholic pilgrimage traditions.
Origin Story
Around 1573, an indigenous washerwoman found a small crucifix in the Guadalajara River near Buga. She took it home, but it repeatedly grew in size. Frightened, she returned it to the river, but it kept reappearing. The townspeople recognized a miraculous sign and built a chapel to house the crucifix. The figure, made of an unusual mixture of mud and dried grass, has never deteriorated despite its fragile materials, a fact devotees consider another aspect of its miraculous nature.
Key Figures
The indigenous washerwoman
Discovered the crucifix in the Guadalajara River around 1573
Redemptorist Congregation
Has managed the shrine since 1875, building the current basilica and establishing the pilgrimage infrastructure
Spiritual Lineage
The devotion to the Señor de los Milagros of Buga belongs to the broader tradition of miracle-associated sacred images in Latin American Catholicism. Alongside the Sanctuary of Las Lajas in Nariño, Buga represents one of the two most important miracle shrines in Colombia.
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