My husband decided to cross and interbreed very different animals. I prayed the Virgin of San Juan to stop this madness. I thank the Virgin because he gave all the animals to the zoo and now does experiments only with flowers and vegetables. I hope he wouldn’t create a giant carnivorous plant.

We committed a heavy sin, trying to bewitch the Fulgencia’s husband. We danced ecstatically and did all exactly how doña Panful had taught us to keep him in love. We were dancing around the fire, when the charcoal began to meow devilishly and the horrible creature appeared to us. We started to pray the Virgin of Guadalupe at once, asking for forgiveness.

Francisca, Fulgencia and Petronila Suarez

Gregorio Aladero went to the desert to eat peyote. He thanks the Virgin of Guadalupe because, although he had strange hallucinations, he wasn’t frightened and didn’t succumb to paranoia. No insect, no snake bit him. He had a lot of wonderful discoveries during his trip, so he feels happy.

Ana Maria Martinez had a high fever for three days. She saw transparent jelly monsters. They opened their mouths and tried to devour her. Ana thanks the Virgin of Zapopan because the fever declined and Ana doesn’t see those horrible nightmares anymore.

One night I was coming back home from a bar. I decided to take a short cut through the mountain. There I saw the devil goat. I made the sign of the cross and ran away, although I was pretty drunk. I thank the Virgin of the Rosary because I managed to arrive to my house, the monster didn’t slobber all over me and I only got some gray hair with fright.

The Castro sisters went to gather wood and fruits in the mountains. They didn’t notice how they approached the damned cave filled with the demons and their satanic beast. The girls were scared. They entrusted themselves the Virgin of San Juan. They started to walk away very slowly because they say if you’d run the beast would attack you. They thank the Virgin for getting home safe and sound.

My daughter Marta suffered from terrible nightmares. She woke up crying because she was chased in her dream by monsters, shadows and eyes in the darkness. I entrusted her dreams to the Divine Shepherdess, and she sent her sweet dreams back to her.

When I lived in the town, the people complained about my animals, because they’re unusual and aren’t like ordinary pets. I thank the Virgin of Guadalupe because I inherited a country house from my great-aunt. We’ve become much more happier far away from people who treated us badly.

A strange giant bird with teeth came every night to eat my chicken and rabbits. I protected them with the broom, but when I went to sleep, the bird always managed to stole some animals. I prayed to the Virgin of Guadalupe, and thanks to her intervention that prehistoric bird left my animals in peace and went back to the mountains where it had come from.

I offer you this retablo, Holy Lord, for saving me during this encounter with the most hideous creature that my sister and I saw at the town cemetery.

Cuch-Balam, Yucatan, 1940

I, Donashi Azucena from Ejutla de Crespo, in honor and glory of Saint Mary and the Precious Blood of Christ, that protected me when I was being chased in the Labrador mountain and saw a seven-headed serpent. I prayed for salvation and managed to escape alive from that sacred place, although I hit my knee and some tumors appeared with fright after the strongest earthquake we ever had in the history of our state of Oaxaca, on January of 1931. Since then in my town we offer up a giant snake on the Daninyaaloani mountain to celebrate the opportunity of giving and receiving and the fact that we survived, although many compatriots died. I offer this retablo and thank from the bottom of my heart in September of 1932.

(2011)

I give thanks to the Holy Wrinkled Child for helping me to kill the chupacabra that was eating my sheep and almost ravaged my ranch.

Lupe Jares, 1996