❤️ LOS milagritos in Real de Catorce

Some trips change you forever. This one offered me more than a landscape: it offered me a perspective.

🚪 The tunnel to another world

To reach Real de Catorce, you first have to want to. This mystical village, perched at an altitude of over 2,700 meters, seems to keep its secrets hidden behind a mountain. There's only one way in: the Ogarrio Tunnel. A narrow corridor, carved into the rock, that only allows one vehicle to pass at a time.

It's not just a road: it's an airlock. An entrance into another rhythm, another world.

I remember waiting in the car, motionless. The silence. The darkness. Then the light at the exit, and the feeling of crossing a sacred threshold. I'll never forget that moment.

🌀 Real de Catorce, between stones and prayers

Once a prosperous mining center, the village was almost deserted by the end of the 19th century. And yet, it never truly died out. It was transformed. Today, Real de Catorce is a major spiritual pilgrimage site, especially for the Huicholes (Wixárikas), who come to celebrate the sacred land and the sun god.

But it was me, a simple traveler, who was going to experience an encounter that would mark my life.

✨ Milagritos and silent miracles

I entered the parish of La Purísima Concepción almost by chance, drawn by a golden light. There, I discovered a world of tin and fervor: little hearts, arms, legs, eyes... hanging on the walls like prayers frozen in metal.

These milagritos , or “little miracles,” are votive offerings. Objects offered to thank for healing, love rediscovered, or fear allayed. But that wasn't all.

What really moved me were the drawings. Blank sheets of paper, full of clumsy colors, spelling mistakes, but also pure sincerity. They told true stories. A child saved, an accident avoided, a love saved. Pieces of life offered up for the world to see.

And there, standing before this vibrant wall of humanity, I understood: these small objects remind us of one essential thing— to believe.

🕊️ San Francisco de Asís: the saint who didn't want to leave

In Real de Catorce, the milagritos are linked to San Francisco de Asís. Legend has it that his statue refused to be moved. Since then, every October 4th, the village welcomes tens of thousands of pilgrims who come to thank the saint and share their wishes, fears, and hopes.

On that day, the village becomes a sea of ​​candles and songs. And in each offering, a heart that speaks.

And it was there, walking through the alleys of Real de Catorce, my heart still moved by this wall of ex-votos, that I wanted to know more.

❤️ I learned that these small objects, so powerful in their simplicity, are made of tin, lead, or aluminum—sometimes also bronze or brass, like the one I saw. Artisans craft them and sell them in markets, and worshippers hang them in shrines, chapels, or altars. They are found in San Juan de los Lagos, among others, and of course here in Real de Catorce.

💫 Milagritos : symbols of love, fear and hope

Each milagrito tells a story. Here are some of the most common symbols:

❤️ A heart for love, emotions or emotional healing
👁️ An eye , a leg or a lung for physical health
🐎 A horse for protection while traveling
🏠 A home for a new start or a protected home

They are handmade, often from pewter or brass, in small family workshops. They can be hung on an altar, carried in a bag, sewn onto clothing—or simply placed somewhere, so as not to be forgotten.

🧵 The milagritos of Unni Atelier: craftsmanship and living memory

At Unni Atelier, I wanted to extend this magic. To offer France a piece of this intimate Mexico. Each milagrito I select is handmade, with care, and with soul.

They can decorate your walls, your altars, your personal spaces. But even more: they can become your silent voices. Because adopting a milagrito isn't just about buying an object. It's about making room for an emotion. For a story.

🌱 Why welcome a milagrito into your home?

In a fast-paced world, milagritos invite us to slow down , to feel , to believe .

• To honor a trial overcome
• To grant a wish to someone you love
  
• To remember that we have the right to hope, always
  
  

They don't make noise, but they speak to the heart.

🧡 A little miracle at home

By adopting a milagrito from Unni Atelier, you are not buying a product:
you adopt a story, a tradition, a prayer.
It is a gesture of the heart.
A bridge between cultures.
A breath of Mexico in your daily life.

Each Unni Atelier product is selected like a milagrito: handmade, with care, and with soul. Each piece carries the soul of a milagrito—and often, a small milagrito accompanies it, integrated into the object or tucked into a card. Unni Atelier's entire image and values ​​are born from these small pieces filled with hope.

Unni Atelier's entire visual identity, values, and essence are inspired by these small, hopeful pewter pieces. They remind us that sometimes, all it takes is a symbol to rekindle faith, memory, or love.

✨ Discover our milagritos and let the magic happen.