3 a.m., three young guys asked the taxi driver Marcos Martinez for a ride. They said they were going to the center of Coatzacoalcos. Then they asked to turn on the Diaz Miron avenue. When they reach the destination, the guys attacked the taxi driver and hid him in the trunk. At the end they left the car in a distant neighborhood. Marcos was praying to Saint Sebastian of Aparicio, and the locals heard the noises and hits from the trunk at the sunrise. They called police, and they saved the taxi driver. Marcos dedicates this retablo for that.

Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, 1979

It happened at the Veracruz seaport. Guillermo Mendez Velasquez was unloading sorghum when suddenly the hoist cable broke. He fell down the water with all packages and went to the bottom. He was buried under the sacks for more than seven minutes. That deadly moment he was able to implore the Holy Trinity. His coworkers managed to pull him out. He was brought back to life only thanks to defibrillation and the divine intervention. He dedicates this retablo as gratitude.

September 16, 1961

I thank the Holy Death for her favors. What a fear I got when I was told that my son was found in a grave with other people. I saw a newspaper article about this. And that moment, my boy came home. I felt so happy. He wasn’t home for a few days, and I though he’d really died—one of the corpses looked a lot like him. My son went with his friends to Veracruz without telling me.

Margarita A. G.
Guanajuato, 2008

The humble secretary Berenice Saenz needed money. So she decided to earn it with her body. She found her clients right at her workplace. So she managed to pay for her two sons’ studies—they even graduated and became professionals. She bought a house and opened a pharmacy. With this retablo, Berenice thanks the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception for protecting her all that time.

Veracruz, 1970

Amatlan, Veracruz
Mexico, 2004

God, bless these women “the Mistresses” and help them so they could keep helping to all those immigrant who are coming to our country in search of the American dream. They survive so many dangers moved by this dream to find their destiny. Protect them—this humble artist is asking you from the bottom of his heart.

I thank the Virgin because on the night of October 14 she didn’t let the Kid Montalban beat me in spite of his cheating.

Veracruz, 1973

When I was on vacation in Veracruz I met Manuel. We had such a good time together that I fell in love with him. I prayed to The Holy Child of Atocha for a miracle, and Martin agreed to live with me at my house. He knew that I’m not a woman, and he accepted me as I am. Here I‘m showing that beautiful day.

Gerardo
Mexico City — August 12, 1979

When I was on vacation in Veracruz I met Manuel. We had such a good time together that I fell in love with him. I prayed to The Holy Child of Atocha for a miracle, and Martin agreed to live with me at my house. He knew that I’m not a woman, and he accepted me as I am. Here I‘m showing that beautiful day.

Gerardo
Mexico City — August 12, 1979

One night I stopped to sleep in the mountain after a long walk. In the moonlight, I saw the witches flying to Catemaco, Veracruz. I thank the Blessed Sacrament for they didn’t notice me and didn’t put a spell or an evil eye on me.

When I was on vacation in Veracruz I met Martin. We had such a good time together that I fell in love with him. But I was afraid he would reject me. So I prayed to the Holy Child of Atocha for a miracle, and Martin agreed to live with me at my house. He knew that I’m not a woman, and still he accepted me as I am. Here I‘m showing the day we met. It is a year since that wonderful day.

“Don Juan” A. Flores
Polanco, Mexico
May 1979

I was desperate because my son wallowed in vice and drunkenness. I implored our Merciful Lord, and he worked the miracle. My son stopped drinking with his pals and now he’s working.

Domitila Pascal
Veracruz, 1946

We dedicate this retablo to the Virgin of San Juan for a great fishing. Thanks to that I managed to save money for my daughter Laura’s 15th birthday.

Juan and his son Pablo Megia
Veracruz, Mexico
September 11, 2001

We thank the Holy Child of Atocha for giving us the courage and the gift of performing the dance of the bird-men so we can touch the sky.

Papantla, Veracruz