In 1925, Reverend Alphonso Jalbert, OMI, built a chapel for the Hispanic community of San Juan. The first pastor, Father Jose Azpiazu, installed a statue of the Virgin de San Juan de los Tagos in 1948, and the mission was designated a parish in 1949. A new church was built in 1954, and during the next ten years facilities for pilgrims were added. In 1970, a tragic plane crash and fire destroyed the church and shrine, but the statue and bell tower survived. In 1972, the shrine was separated from the parish. The Shrine/Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle was dedicated in 1980 and became the new home of the statue. In 1975, a new St. John the Baptist Parish Church was built beside the bell tower.