The Legend of La Llorona

La Llorona, the weeping woman, made her way to heaven. There, at the pearly gates, she was challenged by Saint Peter. Where were her children? Without them, she would not be allowed to enter the afterlife, and so she spends her days and nights, wandering the earth, searching in vain for her children, weeping constantly.

The legend of La Llorona (pronounced “LAH yoh ROH nah”) has been a part of Hispanic culture since the early days of the conquistadores. La Llorona is Spanish for the Weeping Woman, and is a tall, thin spirit, blessed with natural beauty and long, flowing black hair. She wears a white gown and roams rivers and creeks, searching for her children.

The most popular tale of La Llorona tells of a beautiful woman named Maria. She was a caring woman, married to a very wealthy man who lavished her with gifts and attention. After the couple had two children (boys), he began to change, reverting to the life he had had as a bachelor, wooing women and drinking too much alcohol. He would even leave Maria and the boys for months at a time.

He then began to speak of leaving Maria to marry a woman of his own wealthy class, and he stopped returning home, except to visit with his sons. Maria was hurt, and became resentful toward the boys.

One evening, while taking a walk down by the river, Maria and the boys were passed by her husband in a carriage. Next to him sat a very elegant lady, and when he stopped, he spoke with the boys, but completely ignored Maria before driving the carriage on down the road. Enraged, Maria flew into a frightful rage. She picked up her children and threw them into the river. She watched as they disappeared downstream, and then the realization of what she had done hit her. She ran down the bank to save them, but it was too late.

Consumed by grief, Maria ran screaming and wailing down the streets. She mourned the boys day and night, and refused to eat. She walked along the river in her white gown, searching for the boys, hoping they would come back to her, all the while crying.

She grew thinner and thinner until she looked like little more than a walking skeleton, her white gown soiled with mud and debri. Maria, still young, died on the banks of the river.

Not long after her death, her spirit began to appear, weeping as she walked the banks of the river as soon as darkness fell. The weeping and wailing became a curse of the night, and soon, people began to refuse to go out after dark. Those who did brave it reported seeing her drifting between the trees and along the shoreline. Some could see her floating on the current with her long white gown spread out upon the waters.

People began to call her La Llorona, the weeping woman, and warned children against going out at night – after all, La Llorona might snatch them, and throw them into the dark flowing waters.

Another story goes like this:

A woman named Maria was born to a peasant family in a humble village. She was so beautiful, that she caught the eye of both poor and wealthy men alike. She would spend her days in her humble surroundings, but in the evenings, she would wear her best white gown, and attend local fandangos, flirting with the men in attendance.

Young men lined up to spend time with her, and she reveled in the attention she received. Maria had two young sons, making it difficult for her to go out in the evenings as often as she wished. Frequently, she left the boys home alone while she went out. Unfortunately, one day the boys were found drowned in the river. Many believed it was Maria’s neglect that led to their deaths. Others believed that it was Maria herself who drowned the boys.

Maria was doomed to spend eternity searching for her children in rivers and lakes.

Regardless of which version of the story you have heard (or believe), there are some similarities. La Llorona will act without hesitation or mercy, kidnapping children and asking them for forgiveness before killing them to take the place of her own. If she can recover her own children, then perhaps she can finally enter heaven.

Although her origins are not fully known, many believe she can be linked to three Aztec goddesses, and is thought to be one of ten omens that foretold the conquest of Mexico. The first goddess is Ciuacoatl (Snake-woman) who was described as “a savage beast and an evil omen” who “appeared in white” and who would walk at night “weeping and wailing.” The goddess of fertility, childbirth, and motherhood, she was also described as an “omen of war.” The omen itself told of hearing the voice of a woman, wailing at night, crying about the fate of her children.

The second goddess is Coatlicue (Serpent Skirt), described as “the ugliest and dirtiest that one could possibly imagine. Her face was so black and covered with filth that she looked like something straight out of Hell.” Coatlicue is the mother of Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of war, and she weeps and mourns for her son as she waits for him to return from war. She is also called Tetoinnan (Mother of the Gods) and Toci (Our Grandmother) and is a single manifestation of the earth goddess who also appears as the goddess of childbirth, goddess of sexual impurity and wrongful behavior.

There is still a third goddess, who fulfils some elements of the La Llorona legend, and that is Chalchiuhtlicue (She Who Wears a Jade Skirt) is the Aztec goddess of rivers, lakes, streams, and other freshwaters. She is the wife to the rain god, Tlaloc, and ruled over the fourth of the previous suns (according to Aztec cosmology). Chalchiuhtlicue was feared and caused terror. It was said that she would drown people and overturn boats. Ceremonies in honor of the rain gods, which included the wife of Tlaloc, involved the sacrifice of children. These victims were brought from their mothers, and it was believed that the more a child cried, the more successful the sacrifice was thought to be.

And so, if you are out, late at night, and walking near any body of water, keep your children close, and if you hear crying, leave. Better not take chances, when La Llorona may be near.

Don’t forget to check out “The Curse of La Llorona” in theaters 2019.