Vicente Gutierrez offers this retablo to Saint Patrick thanking him because he went to Las Vegas and won the ticket to an Elvis’ concert.

With modesty and humility, I dedicate this retablo to Saint Rita so that she would protect and guide on her way the big friend of Mexican people, and made her to become president of U. S. Hillary Clinton was always a nice person and she loves Mexican food.

For all the immigrants!

Virgin of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico, empress of America, protect the USA and all the latin immigrants of all races and colors who went to that country to earn their living. Help them to keep their jobs and do not let this idiot’s crazy ideas and threats to deprive them of their rights and liberty.

Evaristo, his wife Maria and their son Jose thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for giving them strength to cross the Arizona desert after they were abandoned in the middle of the desert by the guide who ran away from the danger of being caught by the immigration police. They thank for they arrived to USA.

1985

I thank Saint Anthony for all the good things happened with me. When I worked in a cabaret I had a lot of problems. They paid me very little, and my pimp took a big part of my earnings. One day I made up my mind and went to Texas, USA. I rented an apartment, and now my clients come to visit me and give me big dollars.

Sofia Macias
Texas, US, 1966

Tim McGinty and his girlfriend are extremely happy because they finally fulfilled their lifelong dream of going to Vegas and having their faces tattooed by the same dude that worked on Mike Tyson. They also had the chance of having their photograph taken next to a guy that looked a lot like the famous Italian-American crooner Frank Sinatra.

I thank Jesus Valverde for saving me from dying. When we arrived to California (USA), my guide got mad because of being heavily drugged. I entrusted my life to him [Jesus] and could escape. In this retablo, I show this miracle.

Jose P.
Navolato, Sinaloa, 1990

I thank God and Saint Francis of Assisi for the miracle of meeting the love of my life. I was 40 years old and thought that I was never going to marry. But then my old boyfriend came back from the United States and proposed to me. I thank God because we are very happy and have become the parents of a beautiful baby.

Juanita Lopez & Amador Ramirez
Guadalajara, Jalisco
December 12, 1986

Pedro and his son Antonio give thanks to the Virgin of Guadalupe because she gave them strength to cross the Arizona desert and to get to the USA and make some bucks to support their family in Mexico.

January 25, 1985

Thank you, Saint Jude Thaddeus, for protecting me from the damned immigration police. They are like dogs chasing the immigrants, who, like me, have to move to the country looking for a job. Thing are going very bad now—after that damn discriminating SB 1070 law, derogatory to our rights, was passed here in Arizona. So keep your fucking dollars, and I go back to my dear, beloved Mexico. I dedicate this retablo for all humiliated Mexicans.

March 30, 2010

I thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for saving me during the attack on the twin-towers on September 11, 2001, because I was late and couldn’t get where the tragedy happened. Now I’m back in my beloved and beautiful Mexico.

Jesus Ramirez
Puebla, Puebla

I thank the Virgin for the opportunity to met the boatman Pedro in Acapulco. I’m going to take him with me to New York.

Susan Ofavich

Once there was such a terrible heat in California, that all the corn dry and fell out of mealies. And the old Billy Dorset’s bull decided that it was snow and froze to death. I am grateful to the Holy Virgin of Zapopan for this idea occurred only to the bull.