Milagro (votive)

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Milagros (also known as ex-votos or dijes) are religious folk charms that are traditionally used for healing purposes and as votive offerings in Mexico, the southern United States, other areas of Latin America, as well as parts of the Iberian peninsula. They are frequently attached onto altars, shrines, and sacred objects found in places of worship, and they are often purchased in churches, cathedrals or from street vendors.

Milagros come in a variety of shapes and dimensions and are fabricated from many different materials, depending on local customs. For example, they might be nearly flat or fully three dimensional; and they can be constructed from gold, silver, tin, lead, wood, bone, or wax.

In Spanish, the word milagro literally means miracle or surprise.

As part of a religious ritual or an act of devotion, milagros can be offered to a symbol of a saint as a reminder of a petitioner's particular need, or they are offered to a symbol of a saint in gratitude for a prayer answered. Milagros are claimed to assist in focusing attention towards a specific ailment, depending on the significance of the charm itself. For example, if an individual suffers from a pain in his or her arm, a tiny silver arm milagros can be attached to a depiction of a favourite saint (such as the clothing on a statue of a saint), often found at an altar just inside the entrance of a cathedral.

Milagros can have multiple interpretations and uses, and can be interpreted differently by different people. For example, a milagro of a body part, such as a leg, might be used as part of a prayer or vow for the improvement for some condition associated with a leg; or it might refer to a concept such as travel; the leg signifying locomotion, which implies any form of travel. Similarly, a heart might represent ideas as diverse as a heart condition, a romance, or any number of other interpretations. Milagros are also carried for protection and good luck.

A brief history

The use of milagros is a folk custom in parts of North, Central, and South America, and it is claimed that the custom is traceable to ancient Iberians who inhabited the coastal regions of Spain. The use of milagros accompanied the Spanish as they arrived in Central and South America. Although the custom is not as prevalent as it once was, the use of milagros or ex-votos continues to be a part of folk culture throughout rural areas of Spain—particularly Andalusia, Catalonia and Majorca.

Nowadays, in addition to the aforementioned religious and ritual applications, milagros are often found as components in necklaces, earrings and other jewellery.

Background information for this article was culled via the following websites:

the collector's guide: collecting milagros. Retrieved on 09/20, 2006.

Mexican milagros religious charms. Retrieved on 09/20, 2006.