I got an idea to put rose petals and candles in the bedroom to revive the flame of passion with my wife. But I didn’t calculate it well and put the candles too close to the curtain, and it caught on fire. I thank Saint Jude for I managed to put out the fire before the entire house was burned up.

Roman Castañeda ~ Guaymas, Sonora

Thanks, Holy Virgin, for your help on the Day of the Dead when we went to the cemetery to bring flowers to my uncle Reinaldo, may he rest in peace. Suddenly two gringos fell on the grave because it was raining quite heavily. But thanks because, although they fell right on the grave, they didn’t smash the offerings for my uncle so he could eat properly. That’s why I thank for your mercy.

Our mule had always been very docile. But one day when we needed to get to San Martin earlier to take the better place to sell our flowers it got stubborn and refused to walk. More we pushed him, more he resisted. Then we asked Saint Francis for help. And he must have whispered something into the mule’s ear because suddenly the mule shook his ears and started walking. We managed to take place near the church and sold all our flowers. We thank for this miracle.

We infinitely thank Saint Isidor Labourer for granting us a miracle of a good crop of marigold flowers, so we could sell them outside the cemeteries at this period of the Day of the Dead.

Cleotilde and Nicolasa Castillo
Atlixco, Puebla, 1955

Our family had financial problems but the Virgin of the Solitude inspired me to sell the flowers from my garden at the market. Now I’m happy because I cover our expenses by growing and selling flowers which I enjoy greatly.

Holy Mother Virgin of Guadalupe, may you be blessed for curing my rheumatism so I can go back to work with my flowers here in Xochimilco. When no remedy would help me I prayed to you, and you cured me.

Merejildo, local of this town
December 12, 1990

On a picnic, my daughter followed some butterflies and went far away from us. We were playing and didn’t notice that she wasn’t there. She didn’t know how to return and got very scared. Instead of going back she walked far away. Then she asked the Holy Spirit for help. That moment, a light breeze came up and the seeds of the dandelion that she was holding in her hand flew away. She followed them, and they brought her to where we were searching her.

Señora Maria offers these flowers and this retablo to the Lord of Chalma because her husband Antonio passed through a dangerous head surgery. He was between life and death, and now they thank for this favor.

January 25, 2000

My sister and I bring flowers to our grandmother’s grave on her birthdays. This time we went at the cemetery at night, and got there with the moonlight. We met some skeletons over there. They left their graves to get drunk. They met us with great joy and wanted to dance with us. We were scared and prayed the Virgin of Zapopan. She helped us to escape from the dead so they didn’t chase us. We thank for that.

When my husband got very ill and I didn’t know where to find money to take him to the hospital, the Virgin of Guadalupe gave me the inspiration to cut all the flowers in my garden and go sell them at the tianguis market. I sold them all and look my Juan to the doctor, and he was cured promptly.

Every time I went to sell the flowers to the town square, a very happy young man used to pass by and salute me. I liked him a lot. I dedicate this retablo to Saint Anthony because that man finally decided to ask me to court me and now we are couple—my Aurelio and I.

Remedios Pascual, Zacatecas

With this humble retablo, my wife Remedios and I want to thank Saint Isidor the Labourer for the good harvest of marigold flowers this year, so we’ll have good sales at the cemeteries on the next Day of the Dead.

Margarito Hernández
Atlixco, Puebla

We thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for having guided us during our peyote trip in the desert in which we saw various wonders such as flowers of incandescent light and improbable animals that showed us the way and illuminated our path. We came back from this trip much wiser and more tolerant to the other human beings, and also more understanding.