I wanted to impress my girlfriend and prepare a romantic dinner for our anniversary. I don’t know how to cook so I checked the recipes on the internet. I give thanks to Saint Anthony for my girl didn’t break up with me that night because the food was very bad, I messed up with salt and seasoning. At the end we ordered a pizza.

Efrain Tellez \ Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas

We were dragged by the current when the river burst its banks and flooded the town. We implored the Virgin of Guadalupe to protects us from this tragedy. I managed to climb a tree and saved my family from dying drowning. More people who were in danger sent to us by the nature were saved. The Virgin protected us. I bring this retablo, eternally thankful.

Thankful family, Chiapas, 2007

Nora Pineda and her brother were on Catemaco Lake and there they saw a giant cone shaped precious crystal. It was multicolor. Suddenly it shattered into small splinters that turned out to be UFO. They went in different direction and flew away into the space. Nora and her brother prayed to the Virgin of Juquila and now they offer the retablo.

Tuxtla
January 31, 1962

Jovita Fernandez, 34, was dumped by her husband. She was left alone, without job and with 5 kids. She opened a bar, and she was doing so well that she bought a house and payed for all her kids’ education. She thanks the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception and offers this retablo.

Tonala, Chiapas, 1970

My husband brought me a beautiful ara parrot from Chiapas. It was so smart, it even learnt to say my name. It wasn’t accustomed to live in the house though, and on the third day it flew away to the field. I went for the parrot and finally found it. However, don’t know how, we ended up in a labyrinth of prickly plants. With the bird in my hand I tried to get out but the thorns didn’t let me out—my clothes and my hair was caught up. In despair, I prayed the Holy Spirit, and then the miracle happened. The plants seemed to open a passage for me and I got out with the parrot without many scratches. My dress was little bit torn though. I give thanks.

Virgin of San Juan, thank for your favors. I prayed to the Virgin for those two guys I met on my way wouldn’t kill me. I was coming back home, the two guys stopped me to ask the road. I noticed they were smoking marijuana and went away. But they chased me, grabbed me, tore my clothes up and raped me.

Chiapas, Mexico, 1967

After many nights spent guarding, Guadalupe Gomez M. finally caught and enchained a cadejo (woman nagual) that used to kill and stole her animals. The cadejo looked like a pig. Guadalupe tied her with a special magic rope made of horse hair so she wouldn’t run away, because it was long after midnight. Early at the morning this pig started to scream and tried to escape, because it began to turn into human with sunrise. Her skin began to fall down. It meant that her end was near. Guadalupe thanks the Virgin of Guadalupe for help.

It happened on March 21, 1908, at the Echegaray village, Pijijiapan, Chiapas.

I’m thanking, with all my heart, the Virgin of Juquila for keeping our family tradition of knitting. My mother and grand-mother were weavers and they taught me since I was little girl. Now my serapes, huipils and rebozos are most valued among the foreign tourists who buy them.

Obdulia Lopez
Chiapas, Mexico

The Hernandez brothers, Panfilo and Silvestre, bring this retablo to Saint Isidor the Labourer because they managed to buy some land in their village for the money they’d earned as farm-workers in USA.

Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas

Holy Virgin of Lourdes, I offer this retablo to your holy will because you gave me strength to kick the forest monster away.

Chiapas, 1930

Gregorio Osorio was going to hunt. When he went out, he saw an UFO. It approached to him by couple hundreds meters. Suddenly he felt numb and got paralyzed. The bright light flared, and a greeny being came out of it. It was about 120 cm (4 feet) high. It said that if people wouldn’t stop doing evil things they would destroy themselves. Also it said that the polar snows would melt soon. After that it went up in his ship, and Gregorio was able to move again. He thanks Saint Jude Thaddeus and offers this retablo.

Chiapas, 1965

My son was a very naughty boy. He didn’t like to study at all. His teacher couldn’t stand him and was about to expel him from the elementary school. I thank Saint Nicholas of Bari for having heard my prayers. My Carlito changed and began studying. Al least he scored 6 points in the exam, so he might pass to another grade, after three attempts.

Gumersinda Castro
Chiapas, 1979

I took my son to Tonala to visit his grandmother. We were coming back late at night. We were passing by the cemetery when we saw some skeletons getting over the cemetery fence. They began chasing us. I thank the Virgin of Zapopan because some dogs came running. They smelled the bones and began to bite the skeletons’ legs. The skeletons finding themselves in danger ran back to the cemetery. And we managed to escape.