Our Lady of Guápulo Forever® Stamp

Value: 78¢ — 1-ounce First-Class Rate (Forever)
Issue Date: October 20, 2020
First Day City: New York, NY
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Double-sided Booklet of 20

In 1696, the people of Guápulo, Ecuador, reported a miraculous vision of the Virgin Mary—known as the “Lady of the Cloud.” As Bishop Sancho de Andrade y Figueroa lay gravely ill, a procession carried an image of the Virgin from Guápulo to Quito. While praying, more than 500 witnesses claimed to see the Virgin Mary appear in the clouds above. This event became a profound part of Guápulo’s spiritual and cultural identity.

The devotion spread quickly. Franciscan friars established a sanctuary in Azogues and began an annual celebration, the “Fiesta de la Virgen de la Nube.” The tradition later reached Lima, Peru, embraced by local nuns and then by communities across Peru and Ecuador. Artists throughout the centuries have honored the Lady of the Cloud in religious art, reflecting her revered status in South America.

In 2020, the United States Postal Service issued a Forever stamp featuring a detail from an 18th-century painting of Our Lady of Guápulo by an unknown Cuzco School artist. The artwork portrays the Virgin Mary and Christ Child in richly adorned royal garments, symbolizing her enduring significance to the faithful of Peru and Ecuador.