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The small metal objects that in Mexico are
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.The small metal objects that in Mexico are
collloquially called milagros (miracles) or
milagritos (little miracles) belong to a devotional genre
known as ex-votos. There is a wide range of representational
forms of milagros, including legs, arms, heads, hearts, angels,
animals (dogs, chickens, pigs, and horses, among others)
and entire humans, both male and female, either standing face
forward or kneeling with hands outstretched in prayer.
Objects virtually identical to these can be found in
Andalusia, Spain, and throughout the Mediterranean world,
where they almost certainly originated and from which
they diffused to Mexico and other parts of Latin America
at the time of the Spanish conquest.
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Throughout Mexico, milagros belong to the world of
popular or folk religion rather than to that of religious othodoxy.
As devotional objects, they therefore pertain predominantly,
if not exclusively, to the world of the working classes.
Members of the intellectual and social elite, however,
appreciate these small objects for their aesthetic value
and sometimes collect and display them.
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Milagros are sold in churchyards and at chapels,
sanctuaries, basilicas, and cathedrals throughout Mexico.
Typically, a believer who suffers a serious or persistent health
problem makes a promesa, or vow, to a saint that, if cured,
he or she will present the saint with a token of gratitude in the
form of a milagro. The milagro selected for presentation reflects
the afflicted body part - eyes, hands, feet, or head, for example.
In the case of sick farm animals or small children,
believers choose milagros that represent those victims
of misfortune. Almost always, presentation of the milagro
follows upon a cure, in repayment for the miraculous recovery.
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Frequently the promise keeper attaches
the milagro to the clothing of an image of a saint.
Even more often,
it is fastened to a cloth hung on the wall
next to the saint's image.
These small metal objects facilitate a
social relationship between supernatural beings
and believers. Displayed as they are in public,
they announce to the world the successful realization
of a divinely aided recovery.
They have been an integral part of folk
medical systems in the Mediterranean
world for centuries.
*
Edited from an essay by Stanley Brandes in
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milagritos (little miracles) belong to a devotional genre
known as ex-votos. There is a wide range of representational
forms of milagros, including legs, arms, heads, hearts, angels,
animals (dogs, chickens, pigs, and horses, among others)
and entire humans, both male and female, either standing face
forward or kneeling with hands outstretched in prayer.
Objects virtually identical to these can be found in
Andalusia, Spain, and throughout the Mediterranean world,
where they almost certainly originated and from which
they diffused to Mexico and other parts of Latin America
at the time of the Spanish conquest.
.
Throughout Mexico, milagros belong to the world of
popular or folk religion rather than to that of religious othodoxy.
As devotional objects, they therefore pertain predominantly,
if not exclusively, to the world of the working classes.
Members of the intellectual and social elite, however,
appreciate these small objects for their aesthetic value
and sometimes collect and display them.
.
.Milagros are sold in churchyards and at chapels,
sanctuaries, basilicas, and cathedrals throughout Mexico.
Typically, a believer who suffers a serious or persistent health
problem makes a promesa, or vow, to a saint that, if cured,
he or she will present the saint with a token of gratitude in the
form of a milagro. The milagro selected for presentation reflects
the afflicted body part - eyes, hands, feet, or head, for example.
In the case of sick farm animals or small children,
believers choose milagros that represent those victims
of misfortune. Almost always, presentation of the milagro
follows upon a cure, in repayment for the miraculous recovery.
.
. the milagro to the clothing of an image of a saint.
Even more often,
it is fastened to a cloth hung on the wall
next to the saint's image.
These small metal objects facilitate a
social relationship between supernatural beings
and believers. Displayed as they are in public,
they announce to the world the successful realization
of a divinely aided recovery.
They have been an integral part of folk
medical systems in the Mediterranean
world for centuries.
*
Edited from an essay by Stanley Brandes in
FAITH AND TRANSFORMATION -
Votive Offerings and Amulets
Votive Offerings and Amulets
Published by the International Museum of Folk Art
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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