Señora Malena hit her head at the market. When she gained her consciousness she found out all the inhabitants turned into skeletons. <…> She thanks the Virgin of Guadalupe for <…> everything was back to normal.

My sister and I worked playing and singing at the parties. One day we were hired for a beach party. When we arrived there, first we thought if was a masquerade party. But then we realized those were real skeletons dancing around, and there was the Devil himself playing the bongo. When they got distracted, my sister and I slipped away. We thank the Virgin of Guadalupe because they didn’t follow us and because they’d paid us in advance.

One night, my friend Bryan and I decided to sneak into the cemetery and pass few beers there. Nothing frightened us at all. We were joking when suddenly we heard a voice “Don’t be mean, pass me a beer!” We turned around and saw that it was a dead man. We thank the Virgin of Zapopan for we ran out of the cemetery safely. We promise to pay more respect to the dead.

Kevin Hernández
Zapopan, Jalisco

The Day of the Dead, some skeletons came out their graves, got drunk and went to my farm which is near the cemetery. They made a real mess and scared the animals—my poor chicken and pigs. I prayed the Virgin of Guadalupe for protection, and she made a miracle. The rooster sang much earlier before the dawn, and the skeletons ran to their graves leaving us in peace.

I took Dorita for a boat ride down the river. I planed to read her some poetry and declare my love to her. But when we passed the old cemetery down the river we saw dead men. They had come out their grave and were dancing, gathering flowers and waving to us. Dorita was so frightened that I though she’d never accept my proposal after this ride. However, thank to the Virgin of Guadalupe she agreed to marry me despite everything.

Marcela Ramos and her friend Graciela were vending near the church. Marcela was selling fruits and punch, and Graciela was selling quesadillas. One day they didn’t sale a lot so they decided to keep working till late. It could happened—they thought—a hungry man would pass and would buy something. Some time later, they noticed a cheerful company approaching them. They were singing and laughing. But the they came closer, they resulted to be skeletons escaped from the cemetery. Graciela ran away, and Maricela decided to stay and to see if the skeletons would pay for what they were eating. They paid with old gold coins. They even paid for Graciela’s quesadillas. Maricela thanks the Virgin of Guadalupe for giving her courage to stay and to not run away from skeletons. Thanks to that she had a good profit that night.

The night of November 1, the sisters Ballesteros were coming back from the mass. In an alley, they ran into a skeleton party. The dead gallantly invited them to join the party but the sisters ran away frightened. They thank the Virgin of Zapopan for the skeletons didn’t follow them. They locked themselves in the house, and didn’t get out for a few days, nor they opened the door for anybody.

The night before Day of the Dead, I woke up to drink a glass of milk. What a great fear I had when I saw a dead man eating from the altar we’d made for my grandfather. I implored the Lord of the Wonders so he would take and rest this soul. He heard my prayers, and it disappeared immediately.

Filiberto Cordero
Puebla, 1952

That dark night in November, my family and I had to ride through the cemetery. We got scared as many skeletons, ghosts and dead men appeared to us. They looked threatening. We thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for her protection and because she gave our horse more speed so the dead didn’t get us.

Virgin of Guadalupe, I thank you for quitting this vice of marijuana addiction although it happened in a very macabre manner—with seeing all those skeletons in my madness.

Campeche, 1944

Catarino Menendes was going through the cemetery and met his mother-in-law’s soul. She wanted to grab him, so he prayed Saint Jude for protection. The old witch didn’t get him, and he thanks for this mayor favor although he lost his sombrero hat and his bottle of tequila.

Puebla, 1915

November 2, 1917, the Day of the Dead, Facundo Ruiz went to the cemetery, and there his mother-in-law’s ghost appeared to him. She tried to catch him. Facundo thanks the Holy Child of Atocha for protection so that damned old-sack didn’t get him.

Zacatlan, 1917