On 15 April 1980 Bernardo Martínez, the unpaid sacristan of the chapel at Cuapa in the hills of Chontales, saw the statue of the Virgin in the chapel light up of itself. On 8 May, by the river, a Lady appeared to him on a cloud above a tree — young, barefoot, in a white dress with a mantle — and asked him to have the Rosary prayed every day, in the family, with the Bible read; to forgive; and to pray for peace. Over five further apparitions to 13 October she warned that Nicaragua had suffered much since the earthquake of 1972 and would suffer more if it did not change, showed him processions of the faithful of past ages, and told him not to be afraid.
Bernardo, who had never wanted to be a priest, was ordained in 1995 and died in 2000. On 13 November 1982 Bishop Pablo Antonio Vega of Juigalpa issued an official statement declaring that he had 'an obligation to assure the authenticity of the events' and authorising the account's publication; a national sanctuary now stands at the site. The message — the Rosary, reconciliation, a warning to a nation — is often noted for how closely it echoes Fátima.