Legends of the Hidden (Mayan) Temple

So as of late, I’ve heard an assortment of Guatemalan legends that I’ve found fascinating and wanted to share. The following stories are of spirits that can be found in my pueblo during the night.
“La Llorona” (the woman who cries) – Long ago there was a woman who had a baby out of wedlock. Because this was, and still is, such a scandalous thing to do, the entire town was gossiping about this woman and her baby. After a certain point, the woman couldn’t handle all of the “chisme” (gossip) and decided to take action. She took her baby to the river to drown it. Of course, the pueblo found out and as punishment she was forced to search for her dead baby. Thus, her spirit haunts our pueblo in the night as she searches for her lost baby in the town’s rivers, lakes or public pilas.
“El Sombreron” – This spirit also wanders the streets during the night with a huge black sombrero and lots of gold jewelry. He goes around playing beautiful melodies on his guitar in front of the rooms of women in the pueblo. When a woman hears the sounds of his songs, she instantly becomes enchanted. She stops eating, stops going out, stops sleeping just so that she can hear the strumming of El Sombreron’s guitar. At this point, the woman is basically at a point where she is about to die so that El Sombreron can take her soul. The only way to cure a woman of this curse is by cutting her long beautiful hair. (As a side note, Mayan women do not cut their hair thus this decision is one that is taken by the entire family).
“La Sueganaba” – This spirit goes around town enticing men who are coming home drunk from the cantinas with her beautiful long hair and see-through dress. If a man who is stumbling home from a long night at the bar sees her, they instantly follow her wherever she takes them. She leads these men up into the mountains until they reach a cliff. Right before this spirit leads them to their sudden death she turns around and the man for the first time sees her face which is actually that of a horse. This is a man’s last opportunity to become frightened and “snap out” of his trance to save himself.
There are plenty more of these legends, but these are the ones that I’ve heard of thus far. At first glance, these legends may sound just like a bunch of superstition without purpose. But after giving them some thought, you’ll come to find that there is a meaning behind each of these legendas. The first is to warn women about sex before marriage and abortion. The second deals with vanity and the third, is clearly to scare the men into not walking around the streets drunk at night.
I’m just starting to scratch the surface with these fascinating stories of legends, mysteries and tales. There are several that I’ve heard dealing with how people can gain wealth from certain mountains or volcanoes in exchange of the soul of a loved one. A town will go around saying “oh such and such’s money comes from the mountain”.
This culture is rich with ancient beliefs and traditions. Instead of immediately writing them off, it has been and will continue to be and incredibly satisfying way to learn more about the Mayan culture and how their belief system shapes their communities.