I've seen a lot of old Mexican ex-voto retablo paintings on tin, giving thanks to various saints for their divine interventions, but I'm not sure I've ever seen one executed as an ink drawing like this one, which was done in sepia colored ink. Perhaps it was done in advance of a painting, I'm not sure, but I'm very glad it exists as a drawing!
The basic story, really wonderfully illustrated, with great attention paid to setting the scene (I especially love the drawings/paintings hung on the walls), is of Iban, after a long day's work in February of 1935, coming to the room of Ruth Sutton and Clara Fisk (both fantastically rendered!) at the Hotel Los Arcos to battle a horrible and frightening centipede. The ex voto gives thanks to Juan Diego (the first Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas and pictured at upper left) for giving him the great strength to achieve the very difficult task of beating the bug!
In very good condition, with a few minor stains, and framed in an old black-painted wood frame. 9 3/4" x 7 3/4" x 3/8" framed; drawing just slightly smaller than that.
