The folk art items on this page are embroidered "milagros" (miracles) from San Miguel de Allende (area of Los Barrones), in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. They are contemporary pieces done in the style of the traditional ex-voto retablo of west central Mexico. The ex-voto (latin for "from the vow") painting, typically done on tin, commemorates an answered prayer. For example, if a mother has prayed to the Virgin for the health of her child, she may, upon the restoration of the child's health, commission a local folk painter to create an ex-voto painting which she will offer to the local church.
These milagros follow in that tradition. However, they contain shorter texts than most of the tin ex-votos, and they may or may not indicate an actual occurrence. They are not offered to a church, but are intended to be sold to support efforts to foster women's and children's well-being. They depict an advocation of the Virgin (or sometimes a saint), the praying supplicant or the person healed, and features of the landscape such as cactus or clouds. The embroidered texts often contain misspellings or grammatical errors.
Besides these ex-voto "milagros," this page presents two embroidered pictures of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe).
Select the image to see a larger image.
Contact Kalarte Gallery to order or for more information.
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embroidered cloth ex-voto "milagro" The picture shows a man or boy kneeling before San Jude, who holds a
staff. The picture includes a cactus, a butterfly, a cloud, and a tall
plant. The text says: $24.00 | #Lret45 | close-up of picture | close-up of text |
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embroidered cloth ex-voto "milagro" The picture shows San Isidro standing in the upper left, a cow in the
lower right. There are three desert plants in the picture. The text says: $24.00 | #Lret46 | close-up of picture | close-up of text |
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embroidered cloth $24.00 | #Lret14 | close-up |
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