A truly stunning and dark retablo, unlike any I've seen. A Mexican retablo, signed by a woman in 1947, of a horrific train wreck somewhere in Mexico. It shows the train, spewing out smoke and still possibly moving as it passes a maroon pick up truck with various bodies strewn about. The Virgin of San Juan floats in a blue sky as she gives grace to the poor souls who lost their lives.
Legend has it that in 1623 a family of acrobats were performing in town when their youngest daughter, a six year old, lost her balance from a trapeze and fell to her death onto a bed of machetes. However the child was brought back to life when a statue of the Virgin Mary was laid on her body. Named for the village in which the miracle occurred, the statue became known as the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos.
