Latin American Retablos

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Retablos, known in Mexico as "laminas," are paintings intended for private and personal devotional use. They are votive paintings on rectangular sheets of tin that illustrate holy images such as Christ, the Virgin Mother, or one of the hundreds of saints. Ex-votos, which means "from a vow," are also votive paintings on tins. However, they are different from retablos in that they artistically tell stories. These stories recall dangerous or threatening events that actually occurred. Both retablos and ex-votos are devotional paintings that can be left behind at shrines or kept at home. One can conclude that retablos and ex-votos are indications of a votive painting on some sort of sheet of tin (Durand, 9).

Retablos are multi-colored and spiritual forms of folklore that recall different situations in which a particular saint or religious figure is remembered. For example, if a framer needs rain for his crops he might pray for rain. After the rain comes a retablo might be created to praise thanks to San Ysidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers. He is “venerated for good weather, agricultural issues and prosperous crops (Eddy, 1).” That figure would most likely be kept in the farmer’s house. Each time rain was needed in the future, that farmer might pray in front of that retablo (Eddy, 1).

An ex-voto requires certain elements in order to be considered part of the votive tradition. They are made as a way thanking the gods for protection in precarious situations. These situations could be returning a lost family pet or overcoming an illness. It is a physical way of thanking them for a miracle or an act of kindness. They must display humans physically doing something. They must include divine images, like saints or spirits. They must also have an explanation of events that occurred. The explanation must include the date and location that the event occurred (Eddy, 1).

The way a retablo and ex-voto look are basically entirely up to the person designing it, as long as it contains the necessary basic elements. The most important part of the retablo is the representation of the miraculous event. That is why most artists try to using bright, vibrant colors to portray the supremacy of the event. An ex-voto is more often than not, reduced down to a smaller size. It’s usually about half the size of the original, while still maintaining its rectangular shape. The largest size was about 280 square inches. The smallest was about 18 square inches. Some of the most common sizes include; 140 square inches and 70 square inches (Durand, 9).

The original meaning of retablos referred to sculptures or paintings that were placed behind altars of Catholic churches. Labeling ex-votos as retablos can be traced back to the early 18th Century from a man named Robert Montenegro. He published a collection of votive paintings that was dated 1781. He was thanking Nuestra Senora de Dolores de Xaltocan for renewing the people’s health after a severe illness. On the bottom of the retablo left, he inscribed a message that read “en cuia memoria dedica a su Magestad este Retablo” [which means] in whose memory he dedicates to her Majesty this retablo (Durand, 5).”

Retablos are important to Mexican folk religion because they are a physical representation of holy images such as Christ, the Virgin Mother, or one of the many saints. Creating retablos or ex-votos are extraordinary ways of showing appreciation to the gods for bringing rain or helping certain crops grow. It comes from the need humans have to interact on a personal level with divine transcends. Retablos are evidentiary support for communication between the gods and humans (Wroth, 2).

[edit] Works Cited

• Durand, Jorge; Massey, Douglas S., Miracles on the Border: Retablos of Mexican Migrants to the United States, The University of Arizona Press, Tucson and London, 1995.

• Eddy, James., Mexican Retablos 19th Century Devotional Art. San Francisco California. http://www.mexicanretablos.com/mexican_retablos_history.php

• Wroth, William, Christian Images in Hispanic New Mexico. The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 97, No. 385. (Jul.-Sep., 1984), pp. 361-363.