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Our time of global suffering has highlighted the powerful interconnection between individual personal relationships to the divine and collective longings for support, evident in Mexico in the form of ex-votos. Ex-votos are folk-artworks that bridge to God through the intercession of holy figures. They are part of a long and varied spiritual history here, that has undergone shifts
ranging from the pre-Hispanic era of direct connection with the gods in sacrificial rituals, through to Spanish suppression of indigenous beliefs and the imposition of Roman Catholicism. Despite the overlay of Christian guise, the underlying archetypal significance and vitality persisted, resulting in a syncretic interweave of pre-Hispanic and Christian forms. The intercessor is usually a saint assisting the humble human recognition of dependence on the divine; this mediatory role reverberates psychically to that of Mercurius in alchemy whose fluid movement bridges the opposites.
During this time of COVID-19 isolation, ex-votos have become widely disseminated on the internet, thus becoming accessible to both individuals and the collective as vehicles for contact with God and a sense of belonging with other believers. The position of ex-votos is similar to other go-between figures across all times and places and resonate with a common, universal need for support from a transcendent spiritual wisdom. Within varying traditions, humankind has reached out to the infinite, seeking benevolence, protection and forgiveness, evident, for example, in burnt sacrifices used in ancient Greek and Hebrew cultures. In a very different fashion, but possibly with similar intentions, Tibetan sand mandalas are constructed and gather together community members to locate the sacred within a spiritual surround.
Although historically ex-votos have been offered in gratitude for the granting of requests, contemporary ex-votos communicate the seeking of support. The sacred nature of ex-votos is evident in the etymolog