Agustina Perez brings this retablo to the Virgin of San Juan thanking her because her boyfriend finally proposed her — that she could hardly wait.

Tlaxcala, 1917

I thank the Virgin Mary because I was born with the brain of Marie Curie, the beauty of Jeanne Moreau and the kindness of Mother Teresa, Lady Diana or Maria Callas.

My fiancé and I went for an outing. We met an alien family who had a picnic. We were frightened, and we prayed the Virgin for protection. Then we ran away. We thank the Virgin for the aliens didn’t see us.

My husband, who is a musician, bought violins to our daughters. But since he was always on tour, he didn’t know that they hadn’t inherited his pitch and that they played horribly. For me it was a nightmare. I thank the Virgin of Zapopan because some of my husband’s concerts were canceled and he came home. When he heard this infernal music, he took away the violins from the girls. And I finally got some peace.

Alicia Guzman thanks Saint Anthony with this retablo, because she netted a rich old man, who is going to marry her, so she could help her family.

I sang serenades to my fiancée every week. But when I saw her brother Luis, I realized what my real sexual preferences were. Now it’s he whom I sing serenades to. I thank the Virgin of Zapopan because Luis reciprocates my feelings and his sister forgave us.

The death was riding his horse around the town. Everyone was frightened that the death would take someone, so they prayed to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

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.

I dedicate this retablo to the Miraculous Virgin, because thanks to her I met a group of very nice friends who invited me to drink sparkling wine with them. Then they tattooed all my body for very little money, and after they gave me a nice hat.

Every night Alicia Montoya had a dream about a devil raping her. She prayed to Saint Patrick, and the nightmares stopped. She thanks for that with this retablo.

The day Roberto and I were going to get married he suddenly felt scared and decided to run away. I thank the Virgin of Zapopan that I noticed it in time and caught him. I drag him back to the church where we got happily married. With so many people he just couldn’t run away again.

I dedicate this retablo to the Virgin of Carmen so that American people would elect John McCain as president because he is a patriot who often goes in the restaurant where my son works, in Phoenix, Arizona.

My daughters played with jumping ropes outside. Soledad got tangled in the rope and fell hitting her head. She lost consciousness. I asked the Holy Child of Atocha so that she wouldn’t have her head broken. And the X-rays made by the doctor showed that she was alright. I thank for that.