Legends of La Llorona and La Malinche
La Llorona or
"The Weeping Woman"
Every culture has its own version of
the boogeyman, the ghostly
monster whose tale frightens
children into behaving properly. For
Latin Americans this figure is known
as La Llorona (pronounced "lah yoh-
ROH-nah") or the "weeping
woman."
Her legend is hundreds of years old and
has many versions. Yet, in all of them she is
a mother who has been betrayed by the
man she loved who murders her children
by drowning them. She is then cursed to
walk along the shore crying and searching
for her children. While this story might
sound like the story of Susan Smith, the
South Carolina woman who drowned her
two sons in 1994, the story is much older.
La Malinche
One of the earliest versions of her legend is La
Malinche. La Malinche born in 1496 or 1505, the only
child of a noble Aztec family who was given or sold into
slavery by Mayan merchants. Her father had recently
remarried after her mother died, and La Malinche was
an inconvenient reminder of his first wife. La Malinche
was eventually given, along with twenty other women,
to the Spanish Conquistadors after conquering Tabasco.
She immediately caught the eye of Hernán Cortés and,
after learning Spanish, served as Cortés's interpreter.
But the relationship between the two was not simply a
working one, La Malinche was also Cortes's mistress
and produced two sons for him.
Then, around 1522, the night before Cortés was
scheduled to return to Spain, La Malinche murders her
two sons on the banks of a lake that would eventually
become the foundation for Mexico City. At this point,
her story varies and she becomes either villain or
heroine depending on which version you believe. One
version of her legends states that she received a vision
after praying to her Gods and was told if she allowed
her sons to return to Spain, one would return and
destroy her people. Another more sinister version
states that she murdered her children in cold blood
because she learned Cortes planned to return to Spain
without her.
Either way, this was not the end of La
Malinche. Starting in 1550, twenty
years after La Malinche's death, she
started appearing in Mexico City.
Under the full moon, a woman dressed
in white dress and veil, appears on the
streets. Anyone who sees her or hears
her cries is terrorized. Eventually she
makes her way to La Plaza Mayor, lets
out one final bone curdling cry and
disappears.
Since that time, versions of the La
Llorona story have popped up all over
the United States. She even made an
appearance in a California "Got Milk"
commerical. Most of the stories are
focused in the Southwest, but some
have ventured further north and east.
Here are some of her hot spots. But be
warned, many believe that if she
appears to a family it fortells a bad
happening such as a death.
Zwolle, Louisiana
In Zwolle, Louisiana, near Grady Hill, a
spirit known as the Crying Woman
searches for her lost baby. According to
local legend, her boyfriend or husband
took and killed her baby. The woman found
him in a boat with the baby, but it was too
late to save her child. Now she is doomed
to wonder the area in grief.
San Antonio, Texas
In San Antonio, Woman
Hollering Creek is said to be a
rough English translation of La
Llorona. There are several
legends connected to it, many
variations of the La Llorona
legend.
El Paso, Texas
Like in Las Cruces, La Llorona haunts the
banks of the Rio Grand River. However, this
time she is said to have killed her children
in order to be with her lover. Remorse for
her actions causes her spirit to roam along
the banks of the river looking for them
wearing a long black dress. She's also said
to seduce young men and then murder
them.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
The PERA building located near the
river is said to be haunted by La Llorna.
Employees who work there report
lights turning on and off, hearing a
woman cry at night, and have seen a
woman dressed in black walking the
hallways before fading away.
Las Cruces, New Mexico
In Las Cruces, New Mexico, La
Llorona walks along the banks of
the Rio Grande River calling out for
her children. In this story, her
children were murdered. If she sees
you, she will try to kill you, thinking
you are her children's killer.
Gary, Indiana
On Cline Avenue in the Cudahee section of Gary, Indiana,
a ghostly woman is seen standing by the edge of the road.
She appears to be weeping, but when you get closer she
vanishes. She is described as being short, thin with a dark
complexion. According to the legend, she is the spirit of a
woman whose children were killed in an auto accident in
the 1930s. Grief-stricken, she returned to the spot they
died after their funeral wailing for her children to return.
She died a few years later, completely insane.
Some see her weeping alongside the road. others say she
makes wild motions with her hands and screams. Still
others see blood on her hands and dress. Paranormal
investigators have tried to track down this La Llorna, but
she eludes them. She prefers to wander Cline Avenue
alone, constantly searching for her lost children. La
LJorona is most often seen near the comer of Fifth and
Cline Avenue.
Guadalupita, New Mexico
Since the 1930s, people have reported
seeing a tall ghost with flowing black
hair crossing Lucero Road between
Mora and Guadalupita. She's also seen
in the Apache ridge area and along the
old Sante Fe Trail near Garcia Street.
She is searching for the children she
drowned in a river.
Billings, Montana
A tall, dark-haired woman in
flowing white gown is seen
along the banks of the
Yellowstone River five miles
east of Billings, Montana.
She is called the Weeping
Woman.
Santa Rosa, Texas
In Santa Rosa Texas, La Llorona walks
down the streets of the villages called
"EL Rincon Del Diablo" or the Den of
the Devil. She weeps for the spirits of
her children that drowned in a canal
near the village. Locals claim the town
conducted a huge exorcism to get rid
of her spirit, but some still claim to
hear her wailing near the canal.
The Brother’s Grimm
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/grimm/index2.h
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Every culture holds eerie tales of supernatural beings, and for Latin Americans, La Llorona and La Malinche are prominent figures. La Llorona, the weeping woman, is a tragic mother cursed to roam, grieving for her drowned children. In contrast, La Malinche, born in conflict, is depicted as both a heroine and a villain in her legends, her story intertwined with betrayal and sacrifice. These enduring narratives captivate and haunt audiences, reflecting deep-seated fears and societal morals.
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Presentation Transcript
La Llorona or "The Weeping Woman"
Every culture has its own version of the boogeyman, the ghostly monster whose tale frightens children into behaving properly. For Latin Americans this figure is known as La Llorona (pronounced "lah yoh- ROH-nah") or the "weeping woman."
Her legend is hundreds of years old and has many versions. Yet, in all of them she is a mother who has been betrayed by the man she loved who murders her children by drowning them. She is then cursed to walk along the shore crying and searching for her children. While this story might sound like the story of Susan Smith, the South Carolina woman who drowned her two sons in 1994, the story is much older.
La Malinche One of the earliest versions of her legend is La Malinche. La Malinche born in 1496 or 1505, the only child of a noble Aztec family who was given or sold into slavery by Mayan merchants. Her father had recently remarried after her mother died, and La Malinche was an inconvenient reminder of his first wife. La Malinche was eventually given, along with twenty other women, to the Spanish Conquistadors after conquering Tabasco. She immediately caught the eye of Hern n Cort s and, after learning Spanish, served as Cort s's interpreter. But the relationship between the two was not simply a working one, La Malinche was also Cortes's mistress and produced two sons for him.
Then, around 1522, the night before Corts was scheduled to return to Spain, La Malinche murders her two sons on the banks of a lake that would eventually become the foundation for Mexico City. At this point, her story varies and she becomes either villain or heroine depending on which version you believe. One version of her legends states that she received a vision after praying to her Gods and was told if she allowed her sons to return to Spain, one would return and destroy her people. Another more sinister version states that she murdered her children in cold blood because she learned Cortes planned to return to Spain without her.
Either way, this was not the end of La Malinche. Starting in 1550, twenty years after La Malinche's death, she started appearing in Mexico City. Under the full moon, a woman dressed in white dress and veil, appears on the streets. Anyone who sees her or hears her cries is terrorized. Eventually she makes her way to La Plaza Mayor, lets out one final bone curdling cry and disappears.
Since that time, versions of the La Llorona story have popped up all over the United States. She even made an appearance in a California "Got Milk" commerical. Most of the stories are focused in the Southwest, but some have ventured further north and east. Here are some of her hot spots. But be warned, many believe that if she appears to a family it fortells a bad happening such as a death.
Zwolle, Louisiana In Zwolle, Louisiana, near Grady Hill, a spirit known as the Crying Woman searches for her lost baby. According to local legend, her boyfriend or husband took and killed her baby. The woman found him in a boat with the baby, but it was too late to save her child. Now she is doomed to wonder the area in grief.
San Antonio, Texas In San Antonio, Woman Hollering Creek is said to be a rough English translation of La Llorona. There are several legends connected to it, many variations of the La Llorona legend.
El Paso, Texas Like in Las Cruces, La Llorona haunts the banks of the Rio Grand River. However, this time she is said to have killed her children in order to be with her lover. Remorse for her actions causes her spirit to roam along the banks of the river looking for them wearing a long black dress. She's also said to seduce young men and then murder them.
Santa Fe, New Mexico The PERA building located near the river is said to be haunted by La Llorna. Employees who work there report lights turning on and off, hearing a woman cry at night, and have seen a woman dressed in black walking the hallways before fading away.
Las Cruces, New Mexico In Las Cruces, New Mexico, La Llorona walks along the banks of the Rio Grande River calling out for her children. In this story, her children were murdered. If she sees you, she will try to kill you, thinking you are her children's killer.
Gary, Indiana On Cline Avenue in the Cudahee section of Gary, Indiana, a ghostly woman is seen standing by the edge of the road. She appears to be weeping, but when you get closer she vanishes. She is described as being short, thin with a dark complexion. According to the legend, she is the spirit of a woman whose children were killed in an auto accident in the 1930s. Grief-stricken, she returned to the spot they died after their funeral wailing for her children to return. She died a few years later, completely insane. Some see her weeping alongside the road. others say she makes wild motions with her hands and screams. Still others see blood on her hands and dress. Paranormal investigators have tried to track down this La Llorna, but she eludes them. She prefers to wander Cline Avenue alone, constantly searching for her lost children. La LJorona is most often seen near the comer of Fifth and Cline Avenue.
Guadalupita, New Mexico Since the 1930s, people have reported seeing a tall ghost with flowing black hair crossing Lucero Road between Mora and Guadalupita. She's also seen in the Apache ridge area and along the old Sante Fe Trail near Garcia Street. She is searching for the children she drowned in a river.
Billings, Montana A tall, dark-haired woman in flowing white gown is seen along the banks of the Yellowstone River five miles east of Billings, Montana. She is called the Weeping Woman.
Santa Rosa, Texas In Santa Rosa Texas, La Llorona walks down the streets of the villages called "EL Rincon Del Diablo" or the Den of the Devil. She weeps for the spirits of her children that drowned in a canal near the village. Locals claim the town conducted a huge exorcism to get rid of her spirit, but some still claim to hear her wailing near the canal.
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