In this entry I thought I’d add some visual/audio tidbits to go along with my most recent Podcast about La Llorona. So if you haven’t listened yet…make sure you do:
Check it out here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/887464/2919946
La Llorona
La Llorona (which is Spanish for the weeping woman) is a tragic legend from Mexico about haunting woman who wanders the waterways looking for children to snatch up. Now believe it or not you might find yourself having more empathy for her if you hear the entire tale. Even so, you’ll want to keep your kiddies away from the rivers and lakes at night…especially if you hear crying.
I have created a piece based on the legend…you might have come across it in my book Dusty Diablos.
One of the topics I mention in both the Podcast and in Dusty Diablos is the strange connection the story has to an area called Xochimilco just outside Mexico City. It’s a rural area with winding bunch of canals.
A nice
A nice place for a picnic or perhaps a ghost story.
It’s in this area that an Aztec godess/snake woman named Cihuacoatl is said to roam…searching for her abandoned son. Now it is said that this goddess may in fact be the source for the la Llorona myth.
Another interesting aspect about the area of Xochimilco is that it is also the home to another strange place. The Isla de las Muñecas, the Island of Dolls. A strange place where dolls line the trees.
Yes it is a creepy.
And if you want to see a younger me on my first trip to the creepy island…here you go.
So I’ll conclude this little blog post with my favourite Mexican folk song about the Weeping Woman performed by my favourite Mexican performer, Lila Downs.