Due to the technical, aesthetic and stylistic characteristics it presents, this work ought to be placedwithinthe 17th-century Cuzcoschool. In his works it is easy to discern certainelements of classicalItalian painting, which might for instance include the depiction of elongated figures in combinationwith Andean elements belonging purely to the Americas, such as the pronounced use of gilding,thereby creating an artistic fusion oftwo cultures. We can also have a clear picture in the lower left ofthe composition of a chinchilla1, an autochthonous animal from the Andes. Zacharias welcomes themwith a gesture to Saint Joseph which carries a gourd drinking vessel being this also a typical item fromthe Spanish colonies in America. All the figures in the composition are dressed in the HispanicAmerican way.

The Gospel of Luke 1:39 tells us that following the Annunciation, Mary went “with haste” to a city ofJudah located in a hilly region. Nowadays this city is most often identified as Ain Karim, four mileswest of  Jerusalem.

“And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Judah. And sheentered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth.And it came to pass, that when Elizabethheard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the HolyGhost; and she cried out with a loud voice, and said: ‘Blessed art thou among women, and blessed isthe fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Forbehold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped forjoy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shallbe accomplished that werespoken to thee by the Lord.''