Case file · Apparition / miracle
The face of Jesus on a tortilla
In October 1977 María Rubio of Lake Arthur, New Mexico, saw a burn mark like the face of Jesus on a tortilla she was cooking; she had it blessed, built a shrine and thousands of pilgrims came.
1977 CE · 33.00, -104.36 · status: claim
The account
It is the best-known case of religious images seen in food. The family later described both hope and mockery; the tortilla broke in 2005 when a granddaughter took it to school.
The sceptical view
A clear case of pareidolia, the tendency to see faces in random patterns; the local priest blessed it but did not call it miraculous.