The centerpiece of a popular shrine at Pinto Lake County Park—an oak tree with growth patterns that many believe resembled Our Lady of Guadalupe—has long since died and been removed.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a title for the Virgin Mary and is tied to Catholic tradition in Mexico.
The Pinto Lake site has drawn visitors since June 17, 1992, when Watsonville resident Anita Mendoza Contreras said she saw an image of the Virgin Mary in the tree’s bark near the lake. The tree later became the center of a pilgrimage site…