Roberto Jimenez got drunk and it made him easy to get into the zoo to box with a kangaroo. He thanks Saint Jude Thaddeus with this retablo for he survived the trashing given to him by the animal. Although he was arrested, he didn’t spent a lot of time in jail.

A strange lady fell in love with me. Help me Virgin.

Luis P., 1971

Thanks to God and Jesus Malverde for all the favors I’ve received. I dedicate this retablo to your memory. Protect me on my path. With faith in you, your devoted Pancho.

Los Mochis, Sinaloa, 1999

Almost all women in our family have beards. That’s why my sister and I thought that we were going to be circus phenomenons until we retire and then we would marry weird ugly men like our aunts did. Our circus routine had a big success because besides wearing beards we were very cute and funny. But we weren’t happy. One day thank to the Virgin of San Juan we found out about depilation. We got rid of our beards and married handsome men. We do not work in circus anymore.

Luis M. spent the night in a hotel with someone whom he took for a woman but who turned out to be a man at the morning. Luis thanks Saint Charbel for nobody found out about this and promises to not pick up strangers anymore.

Señora Maria Rodrigues had the same dream every night that she woke up in a coffin at the cemetery and skeletons try to put her down in the grave. She prayed to the Virgin of Guadalupe and now thanks because she heard her and delivered her from those nightmares.

Mexico City, 1958

Holy Child of Atocha, thank you for your favors. My wife went for shopping. I was waiting for her and fell asleep in the hammock. At my sleep I felt heat. When I opened my eyes there was fire all around the house. I ran to the well for water but it was too late—our house was made of wood. I’m sure it was my wife’s stepbrother. He was going all angry ever since my father-in-law gave us his lands.

Felipe Hernandez
Tabasco, Mexico

Braulio Perez has created a rock band, and now they are on a tour with big success. He brings this retablo to the Holy Death thanking for this favor.

Ramón Velasquez started a diet to drop some weight. However he was overly enthusiastic and was becoming anorexic. He thanks Saint James with this retablo for he received help in time and he’s better now.

It was a very hot day, and the Hernandez sisters went to swim in the river. They were happily refreshing in the water, when suddenly their dog started barking furiously. Then they saw two horrible crocodiles approaching them. The sisters thank Saint Quiteria for they ran out of the river before being attacked by those fierce-toothed creatures.

My colleague from the route and I were racing against each other. We were driving so fast we almost hit the people crossing the street. I thank Saint Christopher for we managed to brake in time avoiding an accident. I promise to be a more careful driver and not to do stupid things.

Pascual Carreón, Mexico City

I thank the Holy Death for her favors. What a fear I got when I was told that my son was found in a grave with other people. I saw a newspaper article about this. And that moment, my boy came home. I felt so happy. He wasn’t home for a few days, and I though he’d really died—one of the corpses looked a lot like him. My son went with his friends to Veracruz without telling me.

Margarita A. G.
Guanajuato, 2008

The piglet Luis was about to be taken to the slaughterhouse. Thank you, Virgin, for they granted him life.