I was taking my children to the school. We decided to use a short-way—through the Estrella rancho. Suddenly a giant bull started chasing us. My children jumped over the fence, and I, being very fat, couldn’t do it. I prayed to the Virgin of San Juan and by pure miracle I felt light as a feather. I jumped on the fence at ease although it was painful to fell over the fence because all my weight came back to me right away. Nevertheless, I was saved from the bull, and I’m thanking the Virgin.

Rufino Orozco from Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco, offers this retablo to the Virgin of San Juan for the miraculous save when he was almost killed goring dangerously and deadly by a bull when he fancied himself as a torrero.

October 15, 1940

I thank the Virgin of Guadalupe. I came to Mexico City from Aguascalientes to become a matador. Two years later, I had a performance in a town in Guerrero. During the fight I stumbled and I fell right on the bull’s horn. It pierced through my ribs, I got head injury and brain concussion. I thank for my recovery.

Pedro Arreola
Aguascalientes, 1979

I dedicate this retablo to the Lord Jesus Christ because thanks to him our uncle Alfred turned into a bull and now he will not bother us anymore.

Oaxaca, 1969

The Carrion sisters were passing by the market when suddenly they saw an enormous bull which had escaped from the Las Golodrinas ranch. The animal was furious and began chasing the sisters. They didn’t want to die from the bull’s horns so they prayed to Saint Quiteria. That moment, some spinach fell of the basket of one sister, and the bull stopped to eat it. The sisters managed to escape and arrive to their house safe and sound. They offer this retablo for her protection in need.

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.

My son Doroteo and some his friends decided to bullfight an angry bull at the don Julio’s ranch. But the animal knocked my son down and was going to kill him when thank to the Virgin of San Juan’s intervention one of the workers caught the bull with a lasso and kept it for a while. I offer the retablo for this miracle.

Serafin and Amalia Gomez were coming back from the town and decided to take a shortcut through the Maravillas ranch. There they found themselves in a danger when an enormous coal black bull began shaking them. They implored the Virgin of Zapopan, and the bull miraculously stooped running after them distracted by some rabbits he ran into. So they could escape.

My children are stupid and very careless. They liked to tease the don Simon’s bull so that the animal would chase them and they would have to run fast and in this manner could fly their kites better. I was very preoccupied about all this. I thought the bull might reach them and would hurt them. I thank the Virgin of Zapopan because the bull finally got tired chasing them—since my children are too much stupid to listen to reason—so they stopped bothering the animal.

Just before the bull hit Juaquina Meneses from behind, her buddy Cleto Ruis implored the Holy Child of Atocha’s protection. Miraculously, the bull did nothing to her. She thanks for that with the retablo.

Tlaxcala, 1920

I was hit by a bull during a bullfight. It left me wounded. I suffered so much, so I pray to Saint Michael the Archangel for healing me. Some time later I was recovered and went back to do what I enjoy the most—the world of the bullfighting. I give thanks.

Queretaro — Bernardo Flores

I thank the Virgin of san Juan because I wasn’t gored by a bull when I tried to bullfight being pretty drunk.

Juan P.
June 12, 1945

A bull came to the town. And when my little girls were coming back from the school, it started chase them. I thank the Virgin of Zapopan for they managed to hide in the house of doña Luca before the animal could hurt them. I thank with this retablo.