My father wasn’t very glad that I had a boyfriend, so Antonio and I had to meet secretly. One night we were at the cemetery where no one could see us. We were sitting on a grave and talking when we heard a music. We saw the dead leaving their graves and having a party. They played instruments and danced. We were very much frightened. We thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for we could escape and the skeletons didn’t see us.

The maid Rafaila Gomez was very lonely so she entrusted herself to Saint Anthony and caught the piano teacher. She brings this retablo for Saint Anthony thanking him for she didn’t end up with a drunkard.

Puebla, 1920

Some aliens came to my house. They had dubious intentions and seemed aggressive. But thank to the Virgin of Guadalupe I started to play my guitar, and the aliens got very happy with the music. Instead of attacking me, they started dancing and even gave me a cube before leaving. I don’t know how to use it but it’s very nice. I thank for they didn’t attack me.

I always enjoyed the speed and strong emotions. But then I got in a terrible crash on my motorcycle. I suffered multiple fractures and spent several weeks in the hospital. I dedicate this retablo to Saint Barbara thanking her for that crash because that way I met a gorgeous nurse who made my recovery very pleasant. Now, when I’m recovered I’ve even invited her to go dancing.

Ricardo Salas \ Merida, Yucatan

The Cardenas brothers, Sixto, Fidel, Floriberto and Mariano, wholeheartedly offer this retablo to the Lord of Araro for helping them to win the first place at the regional dances contest wit their Oldman dance.

Michoacan

The pre-hispanic dancers Casimiro and Pancracio Perez dedicate this humble retablo to the Brown-skin girl from Tepeyac, Our Lady of Guadalupe for granting them health to be able to express their faith and visit her in her Basilica every December 12.

Mexico City

The gravedigger Ambrosio Ruiz was digging graves at night when he saw two skeletons who were dancing. He thanks Saint Jude Thaddeus with this retablo for they were only having fun and didn’t attack him.

Jasinto Perez loved to dance with my pig Casilda every morning. But she stepped on my callus so I can’t dance anymore.

Toluca, August 23, 1939

My husband and I thank the Virgin of the Solitude with this retablo for allowing us to perform the Son Jarocho dance every weekend in the city center and in the arcades. It fills us with pride to keep our traditions alive and to share our music with the tourists who visit the beautiful city of Veracruz.

Inocencia Cruz and Pascual Dominguez

I thank Saint Francis and dedicate this retablo because Arturo, the most handsome guy in our neighborhood, finally decided to dance with meat the disco because I had been worrying and had begun to think that he might be into the guys.

The gravedigger Agustin Fernandez was at the cemetery and suddenly a skeleton appeared to him and forced him to dance. He thanks Saint Augustine for the skeleton didn’t take him and he’s already recovered after the shock.

The Day of the Dead, the dead came out of their graves to have fun. They choose my tepacheria place to dance and play music. I was scared, and all customers who were alive ran away. I thought I was going to earn nothing and only to lose money that night. But thanks to the Virgin of Guadalupe the skeletons turned out to be good clients. When they went away—because of the rooster—they left me various gold coins which were very valuable.

Tepacheria is a bar where they serve tepache, a fermented beverage made from the pineapple peel.

On the Night of the Dead, our friends, my husband and I were going to the capital. We stopped to have a rest and to eat in a remote village in San Luis Potoci. We noticed there was a hall where the celebration was going on. So we decided to dance a little. But at the midnight all the inhabitants of the village turned into skeletons. We got scared and ran away. We thank the Virgin of San Juan for the dead men didn’t do anything to us.