On the night of November 2, I was at the cemetery cleaning some tombs. I got pretty scared when I saw with my own eyes that the dead man, whose tomb I was going to clean, opened up his tomb and got ready to leave. I ask the Virgin of Juquila to protect me and she helped me to escape from there. The next day, I decided I’d better quit that job at the cemetery.

Tomas Cruz, Oaxaca

On the Day of the Dead, my grandmother and I went to the town for the mass. On our way back some skeletons from the cemetery began to chase us. They were near us when my grandmother turned and whacked them with her cane. The skeletons fell to pieces, and our dog was happy to see so many bones. I thank the Virgin of Zapopan for such a brave grandmother.

After leaving the town few years ago, when his bride had died on the way to the church, Roberto Mendival came back, full of memories. Since it was the Day of the Dead, he went to put some flowers on his late beloved one’s grave. He stayed over there till dark, reflecting about how it all could have gone different. Suddenly he heard some noise. He saw the dead men leaving their graves. And his bride Clara, who had turned into a skeleton, was among them. She saw her groom and hugged him. Other skeletons prepared everything for a wedding and were looking for a dead priest to conduct the ceremony. Although Roberto had feelings for his bride, he wasn’t into marrying the dead woman at all. He prayed to the Virgin of Zapopan, and the Virgin hastened the hour of the dawn. With the cockcrowing, the dead men rushed to their graves, and Roberto didn’t have to link his life with a skeleton. He thanks for that.

Rosita and Antonia ran across each other when they came out the market. They talked about the handsome boys of the town. Suddenly two skeletons appeared from the abandon house that the girls were standing near by. The skeletons began to flirt with them and to pay compliments. They asked the girls for a date, and the scared girls prayed to the Virgin of Zapopan for saving them. They ran and hid in the church. Afterwards, the sexton, don Abundio, accompanied them to their house. They thank for that.

I bought cool old glasses on a market. But when I put them on I saw that all people were skeletons. I was scared. But when I took the glasses off it all came back to normal. When I wore them I saw only skeletons. I thank the Virgin for it happened because of the glasses. I wouldn’t want to see only skeletons all the time.

Romualdo Garcia went to put flowers on his aunt Anacleta’s tomb. He had a macabre meeting with ghosts at the cemetery. They were walking along the tombs. Romualdo entrusted himself to the Virgin of San Juan and could escape. He thanks the Virgin with this retablo.

On the Day of the Dead, the Martinez sisters were coming back from the market and met two skeletons who were celebrating their feast. The sisters ran to the church and prayed for the rest of the souls of the departed. The sisters thank the Virgin of San Juan because after they fulfilled this commitment they arrived home in time to prepare lunch for their husbands.

Efigenio Villa dedicates this retablo to the Virgin of San Juan for saving him from dying after being hit by a car with the failed brakes. So he got a second chance in life, and he promises to stop drinking.

Mexico City
November 25, 1990

The Night of the Dead I was walking down the street. To my surprise, near the bar I bumped into a group of skeletons. They had a party and they invited me to join in. I prayed to Saint Jude for protection. The skeletons disappeared, and I went my way. I offer the retablo for this.

Espiridion Gonzalez

There were some apple trees near the river, and the apples had ripened. We went to gather them before they fall to the ground. When we were coming back with baskets full of apples the terrifying encounter happened. We met two skeletons of revolutionaries on our way. One of them was zapatista, the other one was his companion-adelita. They went with their horse. When we saw them we entrusted ourselves to the Virgin of the Rosary. The skeletons passed by and didn’t notice us. Later we found out that they had been waiting in ambush since the Revolution and that day they inspected around. We thank the Virgin because if we had said one world they would have killed us.

Adelita is a type of woman warrior who accompanied a revolutionary during the Mexican Revolution. The term derived from the popular revolutionary song “La Adelita”.

Susana Ruiz was attacked by two skeletons at the cemetery. She entrusted herself to the Virgin of Guadalupe and now give thanks because she managed to get away from them, although one skeleton bit her arm.

We went fishing and saw dancing skeletons on the river-bank. We thank the Virgin because we managed to escape from there.

On the Day of the Dead, Cleotilde and I went to the mass. We met skeletons who had got out to celebrate. We ran to the church and prayed some rosaries for the souls of the skeletons. We thank the Virgin of San Juan because when we left the church, the skeletons had already turned back to their graves.