Small metal body parts, in tin or silver, pinned to the image of a saint to ask for something or to give thanks. The custom comes from Iberia and medieval Spain, and is kept in Mexico today.
Record, Folk and Modern are kept apart, and each one carries its source.
The Lam Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest University traces Mexican milagros to a votive custom of Iberia and medieval Spain: small metal body parts were pinned to the image of a saint, as a request or as thanks.
To verify: An early dated example or text for the custom in Spain
In Mexico, people pin a milagro, a small body part made of tin or silver, to the image of a saint. Some do it to ask for something; others, to give thanks once it has come.
Milagros belong to a living devotion to the saints. We describe the custom and make no health claim of any kind. If we make one as a small plaque to wear, it will be clearly labelled as an ornament after the custom, not an offering.
