Catarino Chavez was carrying wineskins with aguamiel near Cholula when he got caught in a strong thunderstorm. He was passing under a black cherry tree when a lighting struck into it. Catarino entrusted himself to the Virgin of Guadalupe. Neither he nor his donkeys got hurt. He thanks for that with the retablo.

1917

My son plays flute so wonderful that all the farm animals dance around him and the birds lay more eggs, and the goats give more milk, and the pigs have more piglets. I thank the Virgin of San Juan for giving my son this magic talent. Thanks to his music our farm prospers.

My daughters love to play flute in the henhouse, because they say it has a good acoustic. The chicken seem to be happier. I’m also happy because they lay more eggs and I have more money selling the eggs.

My buddy and I were coming back after the sowing. We took the short way, through the cemetery, and there the beheaded bride appeared to us. She scared us. We prayed to you, Virgin of the Solitude, so the bride would o away. And she disappeared. Thanks.

Nochixtlan, Oaxaca, Mexico, 1976

Dulce Maria Hernandez and her children were picking apples in the garden. Dulce fell of the ladder. Since she was six months pregnant, she is very grateful to the Virgin of Zapopan because she fell on the big fat dog that was so lazy that it didn’t even move. Dulce didn’t get hurt and her fall was soft.

Joel was working in the corn field when his pig escaped. Joel was sad, but we prayed to you, Virgin of San Juan, so you’d help us to find it. Don Pepe brought it back, and we dedicate this retablo to you.

The Morales’ ranch
San Francisco Chimalpa
June 15, 1990

Some rabbits came to eat the vegetables in my vegetable garden. I prayed to Saint Francis, and he granted me with a gift of communication with them. So I started to negotiate with the rabbits. I promised them to give them rotten vegetables, if they stop ravaging my garden. So now I have my own rabbit farm. They listen to me, I feed them, and everybody’s happy. I thank for that.

Rafael Sanchez thanks the Virgin of Juquila with this retablo for the big banana crop this season, although two men were hospitalized after being bitten by banana spiders.

It was getting dark. I went with my wife Lupita in the field to scrape the agave and gather the maguey sap with the acocote. Suddenly we noticed a horrible animal with wings and long teeth. It wanted to attack us. We entrusted ourselves to the Holy Child of Atocha so that he would protect us. Thank God we managed to escape.

Zitacuaro, Michoacan
May 3, 1985

Federico Aguilar Aguascalientes

Thank you, God, for saving us from the chupacabra.

Acocote is a long gourd pointed at both ends, used in Mexico for extracting the nectar of the maguey.

Antonio Gomez brings this retablo to Saint Isidore the Labourer thanking him for the new tractor that would help him a lot in his work.

May you be blessed, Virgin of Guadalupe, because we came back from the peasant war. With the slogan «Land and freedom to the people!» we defended our property that had been taken from us by bad government supported by the big landlords who got more richer while the peasant got poorer.

Elijio Crudo and Romualda Hernandez
Yautepec, Morelos, 1917

My agaves were possessed by maguey demons. They didn’t let me gather the maguey sap. So I prayed to the Holy Virgin, and she turned them into stones. Now the stones demons are very popular among the tourists. They come to see them, and I sell pulque to the tourists.

When Timoteo Perez was gathering the maguey sap, he found himself in serious danger, because an UFO was going to abduct him. He prayed the Virgin of the Solitude and didn’t get hurt. He only pissed his pants out of fear.