Christians believe that God chose Mary of Nazareth to be the mother of Jesus or Joshua, Hebrew for “Savior.” The conception is celebrated in icons of the Mother of God of the Sign derived from Isaiah “…the Lord himself will give you a sign” whereas retablos titled it as the Soul of Mary or Our Lady of Incarnation.

Icons of the Mother of God of the Sign show a half-length image of Mary with a small full figure of Christ on her chest. He is surrounded by a circular mandorla, representing both her womb and eternity. The golden background signifies divine love and revelation.  

In retablos of the Soul of Mary, a half-length image of Mary is dressed in a white gown with a blue mantle over her shoulders. The young Virgin Mary wears a crown of roses upon her haloed head with lilies and roses in her hands symbolizing her purity. Above her hands, the Holy Ghost, embodied as a dove, hovers over her chest symbolizing the moment of the Incarnation of Christ.