Handmade Folk Art Virgin of Guadalupe Box Retablo• Once used as portable shrines or altars, retablos are colorfully painted rustic wooden boxes that reveal painted, plaster figures that relate a religious parable or reveal an interesting scene from everyday life.
• Handmade and carefully constructed of wood and plaster (made of potato starch and gypsum), and painted in fine detail, the retablo is a folk art form admired for its tradition and beauty.
• The Virgin of Guadalupe is shown here in a brightly decorated rustic folk art box, perfect for display on a table or in a niche. The box displays open, with a cover to close it making it easy to take for travel.
• Makes a charming rustic home decor housewarming or birthday gift. Since each retablo is handmade and hand painted, box colors may vary. Retablo measures 4"H x 3-1/4"W (closed). Made in Peru.
• More about the Virgin of Guadalupe:
The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe - known as the Mother of All Peoples - can be found in virtually every cathedral and church in Mexico, as well as in parochial schools, businesses, markets, buses, taxis, and many homes. December 12, the day of Virgin of Guadalupe, is an official national holiday, observed with pilgrimages, processions, special masses, fiestas, and Indian dances in front of some churches. In a sense, the Virgin of Guadalupe represents the essence of Mexico, the fusion of two cultures, Catholic Spain and indigenous Mexico.
