I thank the Virgin of Juquila for the viagra that helped me with this painful illness. Now I’m able to satisfy my wife in bed. No remedy helped me before. So I entrusted myself to you and tried the viagra. Now we’re very happy. I dedicate this retablo for saving our marriage.

Roberto
Coyoacan, Mexico City, the end of 1990s

We, Martin and Daniel, thank the Virgin of Guadalupe because we managed to get married and be respected by the society. Now we are having our honeymoon.

Mexico City
March 19, 2007

Mrs. Debbie Nathan dedicates this retablo to her colleagues from MCLAP (Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Program) and to the clients who had a great courage to cross the border and one day got involved in sad situations and now they are facing the death penalty. We, from MCLAP, are fighting for our dearest clients’ lives. We are also facing the danger going in the regions terrorized by the drug-traffic. Let the forces and the spirits, natural and supernatural, protect us so we could continue to live and enjoy our lives in our neighbor countries.

New York — Mexico City 2011
Bless our way!

Saint Sebastian, I offer you these flowers because you sent me Javier. He understood me when I was very sad. He gave me the satisfaction of succeeding with my beauty salon with his support and companionship.

Tereso Villegas worked in a bar where the men treated him rude and disrespectfully. He prayed to Saint James, and now they treat him nicely. He thanks for that with the retablo.

Mexico, 1968

We dedicate this retablo to the Blessed Soul of the Purgatory because we recovered from sunburn that we got five years ago on our last vacations on the Gulf of Mexico.

Mr. Felt and Mrs. Bone
Mexico, 2004

San Sebastian, I offer you this retablo, because Veronica agreed to live with me. We thank to you for our happiness. Now we can live without hiding our relationship.

Sylvia
Lomas de Chapultepec, Mexico
February 14, 1987

I’m grateful to the Virgin of Guadalupe because my arm is alright now. El Santo took me in the clutch twisting my arm, and I couldn’t move it for three months. I asked for your help. I can move my arm now, so I’m back to wrestle.

Enrique
Mexico, 1969

Julio Flores offers this retablo to the Virgin of Guadalupe for saving him from dying when he was hit by a truck while selling tacos. He thanks the Virgin.

Tacubaya neighborhood, Mexico City
November 20, 1992

With this retablo I, Juan Luis (write with pencil), and Stefani (she writes with red color) are thanking you for the miracle on day 12, month 12, year 2013, at the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. If it were not your mediation, we could beat each other to death. Stefani got furious because I drank her last booze and left nothing to her. So she started to beat on my head with her rosary.

And after that we made love.

Mexico City
December 12, 2013

I give thanks to the queen of my fatherland, Saint Mary of Guadalupe, for giving me health and a job to tell these stories about the revolution that goes on even now. This great woman, Elin Luque, opened the doors of the Casa Lamm for me. She is doing a marvelous work saving and protecting the value, customs and tradition of the Mexican exvoto. Because the art is a miracle that never dies. Till I have faith, hope and love, I swear my brushes speak for my fatherland.

Alfredo Vilchis Roque
Corner of the miracles
Minas de Cristo, Mexico
January 2011

Elin Luque Agraz is an art historian, curator and director of the Casa Lamm Cultural Center in Mexico.

I thank God for protecting 150 passengers and 5 crew members of the US Airways flight 1549 that departed at 15:03 from the New York airport LaGuardia to Charlotte (North Carolina). Because of an accident occurred three minutes after the departure the pilot Chesley Sullenberger managed to land the plane on the Hudson River. All aboard survived and were rescued. It was a miracle.

Alfredo Vilchis
Corner of the miracles
Minas de Cristo, Mexico
January 15, 2009

Holy Mother of Guadalupe, I thank you from the bottom of my heart because I survived two surgeries, the one on August 24, 1948, and the other one on December 24, 1953.

Mexico
Soledad Garcia Montoya