This Christmas stamp features a detail of the painting Our Lady of Gu??pulo. Painted in the 18th century by an unknown artist in Cuzco, Peru, Our Lady of Gu??pulo is from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Enrobed in a pyramidal gown speckled with jewels and holding a scepter woven with roses and leaves, a crowned Virgin Mary looks down at a similarly adorned Christ Child in her left arm.

Value: 66¢ 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

Guapulo, Ecuador, claims a miracle on December 30, 1696, attributed to the Virgin Mary, known as the “Lady of the Cloud.” This event became integral to Guapulo’s culture.
In 1696, the ill Bishop Sancho de Andrade y Figueroa prompted people to travel from Guapulo to Quito, carrying an image of the Virgin Mary. While praying, 500 people witnessed the Virgin Mary appearing in the clouds.
Franciscan friars established a sanctuary in Azogues, celebrating “Fiesta de la Virgen de la Nube” annually. The tradition spread to Lima, Peru, embraced by nuns, and expanded across Peru and Ecuador. Artists throughout history have honored the Lady of the Cloud in their works.
In 2020, the United States Postal Service featured a painting of Our Lady of Guapulo on a Forever stamp. An unknown 18th-century Cuzco, Peru, artist depicted figures in elaborate royal garments, emphasizing the Virgin Mary’s significance to the people of Peru and Ecuador.