The cathedral's black Virgen de Candelaria statue Camarín de la Virgen de Candelaria, carved by Inca Tupac Yupanqui's grandson, Francisco Yupanqui, is encased above the altar upstairs in the niche or camarín (note visiting hours are unreliable). The statue is never moved from the cathedral, as superstition suggests that its disturbance would precipitate a devastating flood of Lake Titicaca.
