In 1626, at the zenith of galleon trade between the Philippines and Mexico, the Governor General of the Philippines brought a special statue to Manila. Carved and blessed in Acapulco, Mexico, the statue was placed at the Jesuit Church of San Ignacio. When the governor died, the statue went under the care of the Jesuits, and was later taken to Santa Cruz by a pastor of the Laguna region. Following this move, it disappeared from the church on more than one occasion, reappearing in the branches of a breadfruit tree every time.

Amazed by these events, the people built a church near the site, cut down the tree, and made a pedestal for the Virgin from its trunk. In Tagalog, the word tipolo means “breadfruit tree” and ang means “the” – producing the full title that can be translated as “Our Lady of the Breadfruit Tree.”