San Antonio College Library

Griffith (director, Southwest Folklore Center, U. of Arizona) examines some of the distinctive folk expressions of the region around the border between the US and Mexico where it divides Arizona and Sonora. Among the topics are patterns of cemetery art and decoration, painted glass frames for holy pictures, a statue of a black Christ known as the Lord of Poison, and a Mormon cowboy ballad.

When Catholics in the Southwest ask God or a saint for help, many of them do not merely pray. They also promise or present a gift - a tiny metal object known as a milagro. A milagro, which means "miracle" in Spanish, depicts the object for which a miracle is sought, such as a crippled leg or a new house. Milagros are offered for everything people pray for, and so they can represent almost anything imaginable - arms, lungs, hearts, and eyes; men, women,...