May you be blessed, Virgin of Guadalupe, for the miracle that Luis came to live with me. We love each other although his family doesn’t accept our relationship. But it’s not our fault that we are who we are.

Acapulco
Luis & Jilverto — February 14, 1985

1920, Zacatlan, my boyfriend was crying a serenade for me, and my daddy got annoyed, went out and started shooting at him. I thank the Holy Child of Atocha for my boyfriend got no bullet and my daddy only shot one mariachi.

M. and J. were having sex at the river, and his mother caught them. They thank Saint Charbel with this retablo for nobody else saw them.

I bring this retablo as testimony of gratitude to Saint Anthony of Padua who made so that Lolita became my fiancée. I was afraid she’d reject me since I wasn’t of equal position with her. But I loved her so much. Now we’re happy together, and her family has accepted our relationship.

Maximino Cruz
Guanajuato

My son Arturo became a good for nothing hippy. He spent days reading big books and smoking marijuana. I prayed to the Virgin of Zapopan to amend his ways. Thank to her, although he’s still reading his books and smoking, he got a very good job and started wearing shoes.

My girlfriend’s parents didn’t like me visiting her. So I secretly started to climb a ladder to get to her balcony. But one night my mother-in-law accidentally pushed the ladder when she opened the kitchen window to scare some dogs fighting near the house. I thank the Virgin of the Rosary, because my mother-in-law was smitten with remorse, so I’ll be able to visit my girlfriend as soon as I get out of the hospital.

I thank the Holy Death for her favors. What a fear I got when I was told that my son was found in a grave with other people. I saw a newspaper article about this. And that moment, my boy came home. I felt so happy. He wasn’t home for a few days, and I though he’d really died—one of the corpses looked a lot like him. My son went with his friends to Veracruz without telling me.

Margarita A. G.
Guanajuato, 2008

Ofelia B. fell in love. They were afraid they relationships would be discovered. They thank Saint Anthony with this retablo because the children of them both understood it and support them.

I thank the Sea Goddess for helping me to meet dear Elke, a Swedish tourist, who is on vacation in Acapulco with her family. I’ve already slept with her mom and her dad. So now it’s her turn.

Nicolasa Robles had difficulties with her mother-in-law because she didn’t know how to cook. She prayed to Saint Paschal Baylon, and now she cooks so delicious food, that even her mother-in-law licks her fingers after it. Nicolasa gives thanks for that.

Zacatlan, 1925

I offer this retablo to Saint Martin the Cavalryman thanking him for my son Evaristo finally straightened his life up and found a job. He was already 35 years old, yet he did nothing but lay in the bed and listen his music. I couldn’t support him any longer.

Petra Carranza
Pachuca, Hidalgo

The other night, my boyfriend and I were making love. My mother heard the noise and almost caught us. I thank the Lord of Chalma because my boyfriend managed to hide himself in time and she didn’t notice him. I promise to be a good girl.

Calixta Perez, 1976

My son complained that he had been bullied a lot by one of his classmates. I told him that he should defend himself, and one day my son kicked that boy very good. What I didn’t imagine is that the boy would complain to his dad who tuned out to be a mixed martial arts instructor. They were waiting for us after the lessons. I thank the Holy Child of Atocha for we could fix all this with dialogue, because I thought he’d definitely going to beat the shit out of me.

Valentin Bueno
Mexicali, Baja California