Case file · Apparition / miracle
The cross of Santo Cerro
A Spanish colonial legend says that during the 1495 battle in the Vega Real a cross set up by Columbus on a hill could not be burned or pulled down by the Taíno, and the Virgin of Mercy appeared on it.
1495 CE · 19.27, -70.53 · status: legend
The account
The hill became the shrine of Las Mercedes, and a hole said to have held the cross is still shown. The battle was a turning point in the Spanish conquest of Hispaniola, and the legend served to sanctify it.
The sceptical view
The miracle appears only in later Spanish accounts and reflects the conquerors' view of a war that devastated the Taíno.