Aurora Medina suffered a lot from an unhappy love. She decided to kill herself. When she was about to jump from a cliff, she suddenly felt grabbed and pulled by some hands. Aurora saw that it was the Virgin of Guadalupe who stopped her. After that miraculous salvation, the girl realized that she had no need to commit suicide over some bastard. She thanks the Virgin.

October 21, 1966

I, Carlos, dedicate this retablo to Saint Sebastian because after so many years I finally look like I feel.. like a woman. Also I thank you because my family accepted me for who I am.

Brenda
Olivar del Conde, Mexico
March 25, 2007

Our cow got lost. We prayed the Virgin of San Juan. And not only our cow was back, but also the heavens sent us two more cows. Now we have three cows.

I dedicate this humble retablo to the Infant Jesus of Prague because when I was addicted to drugs I was spending my days sniffing cocaine and chatting with my buddies in internet. Now it’s been three days since I’m clean.

A ghost used to appear from the well and to scare the children so they were afraid of taking water until I prayed to the Holy Child of Atocha. The saint worked the miracle and sent the soul from the well to the heaven so she scare nobody anymore.

August 27, 1957

Two cats thank Saint Francis. They were common stray cats, didn’t eat well, used to soak under the rain and suffered form a maltreatment. But one day they were adopted by a wonderful man, so they began to live at his place. Now they have comfortable cushions to sleep on, they eat like kings, and they are being loved and spoiled in every possible way.

Carmelita Suarez couldn’t find a job and had to become a stripper. However, thanks to that kind of work she met a senator and became his mistress. Carmelita thanks Saint Jude for everything turned out so good.

Two handsome men moved in our building. But then we found out that they turned into horrible vampires and flew out of the window by the calling of their insatiable thirst for young girls blood. My boyfriend and I thank the Virgin of San Juan for we aren’t two juicy chicks.

Enrique Fernandez thanks Saint Patrick for helping him to collect smoking pipes from every part of the world.

The Padilla brothers set an ambush to kill me right after I would enter the town. But since my horse sprained its ankle, I entered the town afoot among other people going out of the tavern. The bandits didn’t notice me. I thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for saving my life and dedicate her this retablo.

I was very apt at fashion design, and my boyfriend was a good tailor. We opened an atelier, and things went so well that now we have become high-fashion designers. We’re thinking about opening our own firm. We thank the Virgin of the Rosary for our talents.

I thank Saint Sebastian because I arrived in time before my naughty boyfriend went to steam with some filthy swine. I whipped him with belt, and now he loves me more than ever and he’s very faithful.

Panchito Perez Cruz
Mexico City, 1987

I never got married. However, my animals became a real family for me. We gather all together in the garden and I read what we like the most—the horror stories. It happens that we get frightened at night after reading all these scary tales. So we stay together to protect ourselves and not to be afraid of threatening shadows. I thank Saint Francis for such wonderful and intelligent animals.