The lore surrounding the Virgin of Monserrat originated in the jagged mountains of Catalonia, in northeastern Spain. In 1599, when she is said to have appeared to Gerardo González, a farmer, near Hormigueros, in southwestern Puerto Rico, she acquired a new set of traditions and imagery, unique to the island. Like many Madonnas, the Virgin of Monserrat is usually shown seated on a thrown, with her son Jesus Christ on her lap and a globe in one of her outstretched hands. In this example, the globe is missing. This figure shows the unique style of its creator, El Cachetón de Lares, (The Big-Cheeked Man from Lares), a name given to an anonymous santero by Teodoro Vidal, based on the large cheeks with which he endowed his carvings.
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