So I was walking by this shop a couple years ago when I was attracted to the hundreds of wooden shapes hanging on the walls. They were covered with metal icons of every symbol you could imagine…from hands to hearts to animals to people praying, fish and eye glasses and other objects. I was drawn to a green heart with a marijuana leaf in the middle! What? That’s when I met Lupita and her husband Francisco who make these objects called milagros. She then proceeded to tell me the relationships she saw between all the icons on the heart I liked.
Turns out milagros, which means “miracles” in Spanish, have been used for over 4000 years as a way for indigenous people to express gratitude for health, home, and food, for blessings and answers to prayers. Thought to have originated somewhere in Europe culture, milagros were brought to Mexico by the conquistadors in the 16th century. It is said Hernan Cortez brought a solid gold scorpion icon with him after he was stung by one, not wanting to get stung again!
Today Francisco makes the metal icons using wax molds then hammers them onto the wooden forms to create amazing figures. Lupita has been able to use her sixth sense to interpret the meanings of these icons on any individual piece. You can even make one of your own and she will interpret for you.
So back to my green heart and the marijuana leaf! Seems I should consider using this herb to improve my skin lesion. And green is the color of the heart chakra which is connected to the lungs and grieving. I had pneumonia a while ago after a dear friend died. They are all connected Lupita tells me and are right there on my green heart. I have become good friends of Francisco and Lupita. Compassionate caring people who have been doing this work for 31 years. I stop by every week just to see if something else calls me. You can find their shop at Calle Augustin Rodriguez #282 in Vallarta, a block west of the Central Market.
If you want to read more about art and culture from my travels, go here. If you are in Vallarta and would like to take a walking tour with me to visit some of these interesting cultural shops then go to my Walking Tours website.