Mar 31, 2008

The Doctor And The Traitor, Mexico

The doctor opened the door of his home in Mexico to find a man with a knife standing there. What followed was terrifying and he barely lived to tell the tale. Here is his story told in retablo form:

“The day of the 9th of April 1937 was the day when the bastard came to Dr. Francisco and appeared in his doorway. And the said Doctor Francisco without weapons went out to challenge the traitor who stabbed him in the head, ribs and back. His sister called on the Virgin to cure and save him and begged her not to let him die. The so called Francisco full of faith recovered and presents this retablo in thanks.“

Retablos are a religious folk art form which give thanks for answered prayers. I picked up the above in Guatemala late last year. Below is further reading on and photographs of retablos:

Ex-Voto Folk Art Mexico—Booze and the Devil
Retablos Mexico—Running over an old woman

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We saw some similar paintings in the church in Banos in Ecuador, thanking the Virgin for saving them from various horrors. One man was rescued from a broken rope bridge across a canyon, another from the Lava flow of an erupting volcano.

Wendy said...

Hi Heather,
Some of them depict such dramatic life threatening circumstances. I love the art work.