Milagritos

At the doorstep of Mexican churches you can buy
milagritos to pin on your favourite saint or virgin.

You can buy a heart; a leg; an arm; a pair of eyes...any part that you or a loved one need healing. You can also buy little kneeling men and women if you are praying for a man, or a woman . Milagritos cover any area of your life where a miracle is needed. Not surprisingly, hearts are in high demand.

I made this necklace with milagritos; a gold medal of Saint George fighting the dragon- a theme I always identified with- and a quartz crystal, a healing and protecting stone.

Note that nevertheless, the quartz is bleeding.

I made this necklace for me and those before me:

From left: my great grandmother, Clementina Mena;  my grandmother, Araceli Otero; My mother, Paloma Gorostiza; me,Paloma Zozaya.

(Not in this picture, my great great grandmother;great great great grandmother, but their spirits are there)

We form a chain where, as in the weave of a necklace, patterns and stories are repeated.I am the end of that line, the last link. But mum and I are still working hard at working it all out.