A caveat, a lot of these horror stories are shared throughout Latin America and even back in Spain so some of these may have other versions in other countries. Seeing as we just lived a horror story in our game against Sweden, it seems only appropriate to share the ones we have.
Horror is the gift that keeps on giving. Everyone has their own boogeyman to deal with, and some excellent storytellers, like Guillermo del Toro, have given the world a taste of what we can come up with given enough imagination. Here are a few of the stories that we've inherited from our strange past.
5: El Chupacabra
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| That's a naked bear, but you get the idea |
We're starting off with a simple concept. This is one of the more famous tales, and there have been "sightings" all across the continent, including in the southern United States, and it's not uncommon to see news from even reliable networks concerning the possibility that it chose to attack a farm.
This beast is said to be like a vampire and a lizard, which comes at knight to suck all the blood out of the cows in the fields, though he could go for small animals. Now it turns out they could be particularly bloodthirsty foxes suffering from mange.
4: El Coco
Also known as Cucuy, Cuco, and anything you could think of along that vein, really, this is the region's actual Boogeyman. He's particularly useful for parents, as he's what comes to get you if you misbehave, and there are variations in how he's portrayed, from a man with a hollow pumpkin for a head to a fanged creature.
I used to take things literally so I thought he was a flying coconut.
3: The Ghost Bus
The old highway from Toluca to Ixtapán was pretty dangerous. Though most of the highways have sharp turns due to the mountainous terrains of the country, this one was surrounded by an abyss. The night this bus took the route, it was raining and darker than usual, and the driver, careless as he was, went too quick for the old brakes to work. Some died then and there, a few others died from the wounds or from the bus catching fire, but there was nobody around to help them.
Nowadays, an old, but well-preserved bus will appear on the highway, and if you hop on, it'll take you close to where you're going. As you're getting off, the driver will tell you not to look back until the door is closed, lest you stay in the bus for eternity as well, but if you do turn around before, then you'll see the bus and its passengers as they were after the crash, and your ghost steps back inside.
2: The Girl in the Graveyard
In Guadalajara, many who have gone to visit their beloved departed claim to have seen this girl. This began in the 30's, when a family took their girl to the cemetery to say goodbye to a family member so she could learn about the concept of mortality, despite others' wishes.
When they returned to their home, after weeping for the recently deceased, they forgot to realize that they hadn't brought the girl with them, yet when they returned to the cemetery, she was nowhere to be seen. They asked around with their family and the police, but nobody saw her. When they went to bury somebody else, it turned out that the girl had tripped and bumped her head, which led to her death, but if you bring toys to the cemetery she'll be glad to come out and play.
1: La Llorona
You can't have Mexican legends without mentioning this one. This is probably the most famous of them all, and for good reason.
Some say this was a common indigenous woman, others say she was the Malinche herself, but it always speaks of an affair with a Spaniard from which three criollos spawned. As the Spaniard was ashamed, he avoided her, but she needed somebody who was willing to take care of the children, so she kept insisting for him to stay. Still, he abandoned her and married another Spanish woman.
Enraged and deeply saddened, the woman took her three children to the edge of the river and, embracing them with all the strength she could muster, drowned them, then ended her own life to avoid dealing with the guilt.
Ever since that day, people see the pale ghost of a veiled woman calling for her children. Some say she walks, some say she floats, but all of them say they hear the same lament. There's also a version for children which, like the boogeyman, is told to make sure they behave, as if they don't, the woman will mistake them for her own children and take them with her. Some also say she's an omen of death, similar to a banshee.
Whether these stories are based on things that actually happened or not, Mexican folklore tends to involve feasible acts so as to make them hit close to home. We do have monsters, sure, but most of these things could have been believed at some point. I find that fascinating. We'll explore other regions and their own horror stories, so be sure to check back.
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