We thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for protecting our heroes. Thanks for giving them strength and wisdom to take care of us. We ask you to protect them under your mantle. Amen.

I thank the Holy Virgin because I was deadly wounded in my heart by the contempt of a soulless woman who rejected my sincere love. I give you thousand thanks because you gave me peace and little by little healed the wounds in my heart. One day I’ll be able to love again.

Cristobal Rosas Cruz
Valle de Chalco, Mexico, ’66

I dedicate this retablo to Saint Nicholas because we bought a property just before the quarantine began. When there is nowhere to go we kept us sane breaking our backs every weekend in our beloved “quarantine garden”.

Napa Valley, California, 2020

Simetrio Enrique Fuentes dedicates this retablo because my wife Susana caught me in the bath with my gay martian boyfriend and hit us with a stick.

Mexico, March 1980

My husband inherited a haunted house from a distant uncle. We didn’t know what to do with it—or demolish the house and sell the land or exorcise it. But it happened that a ghostbuster club bought the house. We thank the Holy Virgin of San Juan because they paid us much more than the value of the real estate.

I thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for curing my father Jose. We were playing soccer and he fell hitting his head and lain like dead. Seeing this tragedy I prayed for his life. Now he’s fine and we bring this retablo together for such luck.

July 18, 1940

October 10, 2004, I was celebrating my 15th birthday. We were all very happy and it was a blast—the cake, the toast and my dance partner who was my prince charming. With this retablo, I give thanks to Saint Alexis and to the Divine Face of God from Tlaxpana for helping me so no one noticed that I was pregnant and my parents didn’t find out until later that, besides stopping be a little girl, I also stopped being a maiden.

Silvia Yanet Rosas
Jalacingo, Veracruz, 2006

Saint Jude, please look after my husband Luis Ayala who is a driver.

Laura Gil

My daughter and I were without light for four months. We thought the wiring was faulty and we had to face a serious repair work. But the Guardian Angel sent us my nephew who just put new bulbs.

I’m very happy that Roberto let me live in this apartment showing me how much he loves me, although having discovered that I’m not a woman but gay. We live very happy without hiding our relationship. I asked a lot Saint Sebastian, saint whom I’m devoted to. He understands us and I will live eternally grateful to him.

The Dove — Mexico City, 1990

Thank you, Virgin, for healing me from a deadly illness.

Antonia Reyes, 21–nov–90

Virgin of San Juan, thank you for your help. I was talking with my ex-pimp Armando so that he would give me back my belongings because he didn’t live with me anymore and lived with Ramona. She came out of the brothel door and attacked me from behind hitting me with a bottle. We fell on the ground where she kept beating me until I lost my conscience. I couldn’t recover for a long time. I asked the Virgin to heal me and so that my head would be alright until I was fully recovered.

Marina Peña
Mexico City, 1955

My sister and I went to the desert to pick peyote because our grandfather wanted to do his ceremony but his rheumatism didn’t let him walk. We picked a full basket of peyote but then we couldn’t find the way back. Night fell, and we were tired and scared. I invoked the Holy Heart, and that moment a deer appeared. He was shining in the darkness, and we followed him, and he led us to the road to our house. We thank for this light creature that saved us.