Woman finds Virgin Mary in cooking pot

Maria Froilana Esquivel of Oxnard was emptying a large silver pot filled with corn that she had prepared for her family last week when she noticed a bronze-coloured image.

Family and friends were quick to weigh in, saying the mark resembled iconic depictions of the Virgin Mary with sloped shoulders, tilted head and draped clothing. They declared it a holy image.

“It’s a miracle that it happened,” said Maria L. Esquivel, daughter of Maria Froilana Esquivel.



Since then, neighbours have arrived with flower bouquets, candles and teary eyes, with some snapping photos with their cell phones and sharing stories about how the Virgin Mary has helped them, the elder Esquivel said, with her daughter translating from Spanish.

Esquivel, a mother of seven, said she’s not completely sure that the mark is a holy sign. But she had recently been praying to the Virgin Mary to protect her son, Pedro, a 21-year-old UC Santa Barbara student and boxer who will be travelling soon to Puerto Rico for a competition, she said.

But others are convinced. Her mother, Sofia Alonso, 84, claims her arthritis pain eased after the mark appeared, Esquivel said. Michael Tapia, an Oxnard resident who is a family friend, said he got chills when he saw the pot. “I’m a believer,” he said.