Francisco Lopez, his wife Maria and their child Jose thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for giving them the strength to cross the Arizona desert and fulfill their American dream and earn some dollars.

January 25, 1985

I bring this humble retablo to the Virgin of Guadalupe as my eternal gratitude for helping me to drop this vice of mine. All days long, I was drinking at the bars and saloons losing my life and my health. But I’m healthy now and even have got a job.

Delfino Mendoza
Guanajuato, Mexico

Juanito M. and Marta S. were caught fucking at the church bell tower. The people wanted to lynch them. They thank Saint Pancras with this retablo for nothing serious happened.

One day, to her surprise, señora Gloria found rats at her kitchen.

I thank my mother Leticia who healed my heart when I was sad with her knowledge and some tea with medical herbs.

With love, Itzayana
10/05/17

La Catrina came to me and gave me a bird. Thank for she didn’t hurt me.

Lucy, 1971

Don Ponciano Lopez dedicates this humble retablo to Saint Isidor Labourer for having good agave production this year. Last season, the weather was bad in the region and he lost a big part of the harvest. He was worried about it because all his family depends on these agaves.

Tequila, Jalisco. Mexico

Young Pablo Gomez was bullied a lot in the school until one day he rebelled against his aggressor and attacked him with a hammer. He thank Saint John Bosco for he was only expelled and didn’t face any charges.

Laura and Catalina Peña were in a bad financial position. But since they were good pastry cooks, they had an idea of selling cakes. They thank Saint Paschal Baylon, a patron saint of cooks, because now they make enough money to support themselves and even to save something for hard times and also for having fun sometimes.

My mother made a good thing when she baptized me with the name Francisca. Since I share the name with Saint Francis, he gifted me with an ability to communicate and to be friends with the animals. Anyway I go, I always have a company.

Audalia Mendez thanks the Virgin of Zapopan for sending her a presentiment about the hall storm that night. Since the roof of the stable and of the coop was blown by the wind, her animals were unprotected and left to the mercy of the inclemency of the weather. So she decided to prevent it and put them all in the house right in time because the hail storm was terrible. The animals felt safe and warm inside the house.

I went with my daughters to stay at my aunt Roberta’s house for few days. She lived in an old mansion which had used to be a convent. At night I heard my girls screaming. When I entered their room I felt something cold and strange. The girls were scared so I took them to my room. They told me they saw ghosts. I thank the Virgin for the ghost didn’t hurt my girls and disappeared very quickly. Later my aunt told me that she had seen the ghost few times.

Humberto Castro went to the United States as illegal immigrant and almost died in the desert. He thanks Saint Jude Thaddeus because he was saved, and he promises to not try it again.