The village of EL QUINCHE , some 7km southeast of Guayllabamba, is famous for its outsized church , as large as the monasteries and cathedrals of colonial Quito. Grand as the building is, for pilgrims its most important feature is the wooden image of El Virgen del Quinche , carved at the end of the sixteenth century by artist and architect Diego de Robles. Ever since de Robles was saved from tumbling hundreds of feet into the Río Oyacachi by a thorn snagging on his clothes, the Virgin has been believed responsible for countless other miracles, depicted by paintings inside the church. Pilgrims make their way from across the country to venerate the Virgin, especially during the festival in the third week of November, climaxing on November 21. Throngs of people receive blessings all year round for everything from newborn babies to a newly bought taxi. Regular buses to El Quinche leave Quito from Avenida América and Colón, taking about an hour and twenty minutes to get there.