The marigold vendor entrusted himself to Saint Sebastian de Aparicio and brings him this retablo for the good sales on the Day of the Dead.

On the Night of the Dead, our friends, my husband and I were going to the capital. We stopped to eat in a remote village in Puebla. We noticed there was a bar where the celebration was going on. So we decided to dance a little. But at the midnight all the inhabitants of the village turned into skeletons. We got scared and ran away. We thank the Virgin of Zapopan for the dead men didn’t do anything to us.

The brothers Cosme and Crispin Trejo went to the cemetery to celebrate the November 2 and met a mister who sat on a tomb. He was going to give them a chest full of gold so they would continue with their vice. But suddenly they noticed that it was a skeleton who talked with them. They implored the Virgin of the Solitude for protection, and nothing happened with them. They promised to not drink anymore and to not disturb the dead.

Tlaxcala, 1948

I’m a very liberal man and—I may confess—I’m a very good at performing the ballads. I do it with sensuality. But when after my concert on the Day of the Dead three skeletons came to my bedroom I had enough. Also I got scared and prayed Saint Michael the Archangel for help. Thanks to the Archangel the skeletons were satisfied with a couple of songs and my autographs on their CDs. I literally had to push them out because they wanted to kiss me goodbye.

When my husband Juan Jose died, I was sad and couldn’t find any consolation. We loved each other so much, and I couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing him again. I asked the Virgin to let me see him. And she gave me that. So now every Day of the Dead, I put the altar and bring the offerings, and then my husband appears for a few seconds. So I can keep his image in my memory and find strength to live on without him.

On the night of November 2, I was at the cemetery cleaning some tombs. I got pretty scared when I saw with my own eyes that the dead man, whose tomb I was going to clean, opened up his tomb and got ready to leave. I ask the Virgin of Juquila to protect me and she helped me to escape from there. The next day, I decided I’d better quit that job at the cemetery.

Tomas Cruz, Oaxaca

On the Day of the Dead, my grandmother and I went to the town for the mass. On our way back some skeletons from the cemetery began to chase us. They were near us when my grandmother turned and whacked them with her cane. The skeletons fell to pieces, and our dog was happy to see so many bones. I thank the Virgin of Zapopan for such a brave grandmother.

After leaving the town few years ago, when his bride had died on the way to the church, Roberto Mendival came back, full of memories. Since it was the Day of the Dead, he went to put some flowers on his late beloved one’s grave. He stayed over there till dark, reflecting about how it all could have gone different. Suddenly he heard some noise. He saw the dead men leaving their graves. And his bride Clara, who had turned into a skeleton, was among them. She saw her groom and hugged him. Other skeletons prepared everything for a wedding and were looking for a dead priest to conduct the ceremony. Although Roberto had feelings for his bride, he wasn’t into marrying the dead woman at all. He prayed to the Virgin of Zapopan, and the Virgin hastened the hour of the dawn. With the cockcrowing, the dead men rushed to their graves, and Roberto didn’t have to link his life with a skeleton. He thanks for that.

On the Day of the Dead, the Martinez sisters were coming back from the market and met two skeletons who were celebrating their feast. The sisters ran to the church and prayed for the rest of the souls of the departed. The sisters thank the Virgin of San Juan because after they fulfilled this commitment they arrived home in time to prepare lunch for their husbands.

On the Day of the Dead, Cleotilde and I went to the mass. We met skeletons who had got out to celebrate. We ran to the church and prayed some rosaries for the souls of the skeletons. We thank the Virgin of San Juan because when we left the church, the skeletons had already turned back to their graves.