The Virgin of San Juan attracted countless pilgrimages from distant places. Beginning as a small chapel on the grounds of the San Juan Plantation, St. John the Baptist Church has been part of San Juan history since 1908. A wooden chapel was erected in town one block east of this site in 1924 and now rests to the north in Lopezville. On May 2, 1954, some 60,000 pilgrims came here to witness the dedication of the new shrine. On October 23, 1970, a local pilot deliberately flew his plane into the shrine, destroying all but the tower that still stands today.