Nuestra Senora del Carmen

Rivera group, active mid 19th century-1941 · ca. late 19th-early 20th century

One of the Virgin Mary's identities in Spain is as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In this guise, she wears a Carmelite habit and scapular decorated with the order's emblem. Her duty is to protect those on earth, as well as the suffering souls in purgatory. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is popular in Puerto Rico and is often invoked in lullabies. In keeping with the emphasis on her role as mother, this santo has a gentle expression on her face, and her gaze is directed downward as if she is nurturing her devotees.