The custom of ex-votos arrived in Mexico the same way the Catholic saints did—with the Spanish. Not too different from pre-existing indigenous practices of making offerings to the gods, ex-votos became popular first amongst the rich, who had them painted on canvas, and then, when sheets of tin became inexpensive, amongst all levels of society. Early ex-votos typically depict the static image of a saint, but by the 16th century, the narrative tradition had been established, and it is the one that still persists today. The art of ex-votos has influenced a large number of Mexican artists including Roberto Montenegro, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Frida Kahlo, and Diego Rivera, who was one of the first to start collecting them. Read Less