Señora Alicia Rivera was captured in the airport when she was trying to smuggle two hundred thousand undeclared dollars. She testifies her gratitude to Saint Rita with this retablos because she got a great lawyer who managed to reduce her sentence in exchange for testifying about her husband’s corruption.

I thank the Holy Virgin of the Solitude for the miracle of keeping Eusebio Garcia away from liquor. He wallowed completely in alcohol and made me suffer from beating and bad treatment, and he even took money for laundry, and I had to come for him to the pulqueria-bar.

Ramona Suarez

There were some strange plants growing in my flower pots. They looked nice, so I let them grow. Then I noticed that the plants were eating insect. That was intriguing. But then they tried to catch my cats. I prayed the Virgin of the Rosary to protect my cats. I was going to throw these plants away, but my neighbor, a teacher, offered me good money for them. He wanted to take them to the school because they were rare specimens.

Felipa Ortiz was pregnant and was about to give birth, but she was worrying because she didn’t have money to pay to a midwife. She fervently thanks the Virgin of San Juan because Frida the painter paid all the expenses of the childbirth.

Puebla, 1940

I sold a piece of land I didn’t used so much and, with that money, I though of buying cows. When I went to the ranch La Purisima to buy them, I took a shortcut through the cacti. There was a group of bandits who ambushed me. They scared my horse away and asked for the money. But then my dog who’s very clever took the bag with the money and ran away. The bandits went after him, but the dog ran through the most dense cacti. Meanwhile, I escaped and soon found my horse. When I got home my dog was already there with the bag of money. I thank Virgin of Zapopan for this miracle.

The other night I was sleeping in my room with my boyfriend Gruff and suddenly felt a malign presence, like a dead goy into me. I couldn’t move or open my eyes, but I felt I was protected. I want to thank my patron saint Jesus Malverde for that because he looks after me, and moreover he worked a miracle—I received unexpected money to pay off my debts and also got a better contract at my work.

Guadalajara, Jalisco, April 20. 2021

I took the mask off Robot, my greatest enemy in wrestling, and won a lot of money. Thank you, Virgin of Guadalupe, for this triumph.

As I promised, I bring this humble retablo to Saint Michael the Archangel for granting me the miracle that I was able to help my father with money to open his pottery workshop because he dreamt about it since he was young.

Teodora Morales, Tlaxcala, Mexico

James Eddy had been a loyal customer of First Republic Bank since 2003, and had paid the bank in excess of one million dollars in mortgage interest over the course of his 16 year relationship. He had always been their greatest advocate. In the year of 2019, in the City of San Francisco James noticed some discrepancies in his checking account, which were later authenticated as not having been caused by anything he had done. Unbeknownst to James, an unauthorized person was writing fraudulent checks on his account, using their own name. When he discovered the anomalies and brought the discrepancies to the attention of his bank, rather than correct their own mistakes and offer an apology, which James would have accepted, they unceremoniously permanently closed ALL of his checking accounts. After a period of recovery, James petitioned Saint Matthew Apostle, the patron saint of financial matters, for assistance. Matthew instructed James first to spread the gospel and then to use his creative energy to warn others about their actions. Matthew counseled James to be thankful that this relationship had been severed given the bank’s unfaithful ways and the abandonment of their most basic fiduciary duties. James offers this retablo to commemorate the miracle of his survival and Saint Matthew’s divine intervention.

December 27, 2020, San Francisco, CA

Azucena gives infinite thanks to the Virgin of Guadalupe for helping her to find a job as a prostitute to make money for her son’s heart surgery whom she loves so much. She asks you to always protect her in her job, Virgin.

January 25, 1999, Mexico

I give thanks to Saint Jude Thaddeus for granting me the freedom. I was arrested for taking money for the lottery tickets I’d sold. But you know well that I took them to buy Christmas presents for my children. I did it because they’ve never received presents. And today, January 6, my boss found out the truth and withdrew his complaint saying that I’m innocent because he was also a boy once and he’s also a father.

Mexico City, 1968
Melchor Garcia Baltazar

I give infinite thanks, with this humble retablo, to Saint Toribio Romo for having found a good family who hired me as a gardener and treats me very good. Being an illegal immigrant here in USA, I was very much worried about finding a good job. But now I’m very happy that I can send money back to my family in Mexico because they need it very much.

Eulalio Lopez ~ Los Angeles, California

I promise you, Virgin of Guadalupe, that I won’t steal money from my mother to drink mezcal anymore.

Abuncio Villa