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The Day of the Dead, some skeletons came out their graves, got drunk and went to my farm which is near the cemetery. They made a real mess and scared the animals—my poor chicken and pigs. I prayed the Virgin of Guadalupe for protection, and she made a miracle. The rooster sang much earlier before the dawn, and the skeletons ran to their graves leaving us in peace.

An eagle used to kill the chicken at our small farm. I prayed the Lord of the Wonders and he, in his infinite goodness, made the eagle fly away from our places. It never came back, so I thank.

Matilda Gutierez
Uriangato, Guanajuato

As testimony of my eternal gratitude I thank Saint Michael the Archangel with the present retablo for keeping my rooster Valiente (Valiant) in good health. He made me win a lot of money fighting in the cockpits. And I have a special feeling for him since it was my father’s gift to me.

Venustiano Jimenez
Aguascalientes, Mexico

Thanks for everything.

The boy Jose Luis Arreola thanks with this retablo for they didn’t eat his turkey although it’s pretty big.

San Juan, July 8, 1938

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1908, Just Romero had met a nagual on arrival to Zacatlan. He entrusted himself to Saint Charbel and now thanks him for the nagual didn’t catch him and only stole his turkey.

Retablo by

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La Catrina came to me and gave me a bird. Thank for she didn’t hurt me.

Lucy, 1971

Retablo by

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Audalia Mendez thanks the Virgin of Zapopan for sending her a presentiment about the hall storm that night. Since the roof of the stable and of the coop was blown by the wind, her animals were unprotected and left to the mercy of the inclemency of the weather. So she decided to prevent it and put them all in the house right in time because the hail storm was terrible. The animals felt safe and warm inside the house.

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Working in the field is hard, but the birds make my day when they fly over me, sit on my shoulders and sing to me. And I talk with them. Ever since I was little the birds looked for me. They feel good around me. I thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for this miracle of coexistence.

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When my sister and I noticed a storm coming we bring the animals to the shed. We just put the donkey in when the storm began. It was so strong we couldn’t go out and run to the house. We heard the walls cracking and prayed the Virgin of Paloma so that the shed would withstand under the wind and rain because it seems it going to be blown off any minute. We thank for it withstood and protected all of us.

After I made a promise to Saint Quiteria of Frexeiras my neighbor stopped stealing my animals. I thank Saint Quiteria.

Francisco Cordeiro
Monteiro, Paraíba

Virgin of San Juan, thank for your favors. A cockfight was going on, and it seemed that my cock was going to win. I cheered him but then suddenly the other cock owner stab me in my eye. My eye fell off and I almost lost it. I thank the Virgin for enlightening the surgeon who worked on me.

Ambrosio Ibarra
Leon, Guanajuato, 1961

The Rosales brothers were gathering wood in the mountains when they saw a police car chasing chicken robbers. The slope was steep so the cages were falling out of the truck opening so the chicken got loose. The brothers thanks the Virgin of Zapopan for now every one of them have plenty of chicken.

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