The night of the Day of the Dead I decided to bring some flowers to my grand-mother’s grave. I was going to the cemetery when I found out it was very lively on the streets but there were only skeletons who were walking happily around. I thought I was going mad, I prayed the Virgin of Guadalupe and ran back. When I got home everything turned back to normal. I thank for that.

Señora Maria Rodrigues had the same dream every night that she woke up in a coffin at the cemetery and skeletons try to put her down in the grave. She prayed to the Virgin of Guadalupe and now thanks because she heard her and delivered her from those nightmares.

Mexico City, 1958

The gravedigger of the town cemetery Pafilo Molina worked till late hours cleaning the graves for the Night of All Saints. Suddenly he heard some noise. Frightened he came closer and saw some dead men celebrating their day. One dead lady even invited him to dance. He thanks Saint Michael for he managed to escape from death and now can tell the story.

Teziutlan, Puebla

I needed money quickly, and my friend told me that I could earn it right away as a prostitute. I put a provocative dress on and stayed at the corner near the cemetery. But all the clients approaching me were very strange. They all were skeletons. I was so scared. I thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for I got a job in a store so I don’t need to prostitute anymore.

Norma Huerta was modeling in lingerie at a cemetery when a dead man grabbed her with his hand. She thanks Saint Martha with this retablo for escaping of this horrible experience and not dying of a heart attack.

We were coming back home from the grandmother Martina. We were going through the cemetery, and a ghost appeared to us. We got scared and ran away, but the ghost followed us trying to take us to the other world. We prayed the Virgin of Zapopan, and thanks to her the ghost didn’t catch us. We were so frightened we ran all the way to our house. We dedicate this retablo to the Virgin.

Thank you, Saint Isidor the Laborer, for having heard my prayers, so my first harvest of marigold flowers was very good. Now I’m going to sell them at the cemeteries on the Day of the Dead.

Filomena Tepox
Atlixco, Puebla

The Martinez sisters, Graciela and Alicia, were so beautiful that one day when they were coming back home through the cemetery, the dead men came out their graves and followed the girls flirting with them and giving them compliments. The girls, however, got scared and ran away. But the dead kept following them. So then the sisters prayed to Saint Barbara, and she appeared protecting them from the skeletons. The saint ordered the dead to go back to the cemetery, and the disappointed skeletons walked to their graves. The Martinez sisters thank the saint for this miracle.

November 2, the brothers Cosme and Basilio Trejo went to the cemetery to drink. There they met a mister sitting on a grave who wanted to give them a chest full of gold so they could continue to go on with their vice. Suddenly, they noticed that it was a dead man who was speaking with them. They implored Saint Benedict for protecting them so nothing bad happened to them. They promised to cut off drinking and to respect the dead.

Oaxaca

M. R. and J. A, were fucking in the cemetery, and suddenly they were attacked by skeletons. They thank Saint Charbel with this retablo for they managed to escape. They promise to be more respectful.

The marigold vendor entrusted himself to Saint Sebastian de Aparicio and brings him this retablo for the good sales on the Day of the Dead.

The brothers Cosme and Crispin Trejo went to the cemetery to celebrate the November 2 and met a mister who sat on a tomb. He was going to give them a chest full of gold so they would continue with their vice. But suddenly they noticed that it was a skeleton who talked with them. They implored the Virgin of the Solitude for protection, and nothing happened with them. They promised to not drink anymore and to not disturb the dead.

Tlaxcala, 1948

Since my boyfriend nor I had a car to go in the country for a picnic, we decided to have it at the cemetery. We ate and talked, but when we saw the dead men leaving their tombs and coming to us, we choked with sandwiches. Only thanks to the Virgin of Zapopan’s protection we were able to run away from the skeletons which almost surrounded us. We thank because we escaped.