Jose Suarez was repairing a wooden bridge and suddenly fell hanging with his head down in the river. He thanks Saint James for somebody saw it and saved him in time.

My wife painted our bedroom in insanely red color. She also decorated it with red things. All because she had read in a magazine that red is the color of the passion. I thank the Virgin of San Juan that she finally came to her senses because this horrible color caused her the headache and irritated her eyes. So she painted all white again.

I put a ladder to fix a hole in the wall. The ladder tilted and pushed some pots. My children were down, right under them. I implored the Lord of Blue Eye, and miraculously the pots fell a few inches from the kids and didn’t hurt them. I thank for that miracle.

Alberto Robledo was repairing the church bell when he got struck by a lightning. He thanks Saint Michael the Archangel with this retablo for he only got some burns and he’s going to be alright.

Felipe Ortega was repairing his slate roof when suddenly he was hit by a lightning. He was taken to the hospital. He thanks the Virgin of Guadalupe because he survived.

I’ve ordered this retablo dedicated to my Virgin of Carmen (Lady of Mount Carmel) because since I became a widow my house needed a lot of repairs. But I met a very good man in the store. And he didn’t charge me for changing the window in the room of my daughter Rosita. She also liked him very much.

I was repairing the roof of the house. I stumbled and fell off the ladder right on the stump. It had a splinter that went through my stomach. I prayed to The Holy Face of God and asked for a relief. I got better and recovered from this deadly wound. Lorenzo Garcia dedicates this ex-voto.

Pachuca, Hidalgo
Holy week, 1956

My wife read in a decoration magazine that the “Dark” style was in vogue. She painted our bedroom in black. It looked hideous. But when she decided to change our furniture for black furniture and she bought the black bed linen, I couldn’t take it more. I thank the Virgin of the Rosary for giving me strength to shout on my wife, in spite of being a very complaisant and calm husband who loves his wife very much. Fortunately, my wife understood that I didn’t like the “Dark” style. So now our bedroom is white again.

I was coming back from my brother-in-law’s house where I had plastered walls. I had had some drinks. Suddenly the fucking devil appeared to me. I was so scared, even my drunkenness went away. I asked you, Lord of Chalma, to protect me and keep evil away from me. Now I’m thanking you and promise not to say anymore what I used to say: «Go fuck your mother, Devil and all your friends!»

Jorge Anzaldo
Observatorio neighborhood, Mexico
April 19, 1999