La Llorona

La Llorona – The Weeping Woman

This week, we explore the Weeping Woman – La Llorona, who wanders along rivers and lakes throughout Mexico, the American Southwest, and Latin America, forever crying out for her lost children with her signature wail of “Ay, mis hijos!” We trace the possible origins of this vengeful ghost back to the 1500s in Mexico City, examining connections to Aztec mythology including the Hungry Woman and the goddess Cihuacoatl, before diving into the most common version of the tale about a beautiful peasant woman named Maria who married a wealthy nobleman, had two children, but was ultimately abandoned for a younger woman—leading her to drown her children in a jealous rage and then take her own life in the same river.

We discuss how La Llorona serves multiple purposes across different age groups: teaching young children not to misbehave or cry excessively, warning teenagers about staying out past curfew and the dangers of wandering at night, and representing deeper themes of regret, misogyny, and social pressure for adults.

Then, we share four chilling real-life encounters including a Guatemalan family whose 3-year-old was found drenched in an outdoor sink with a mysterious woman figure, a Texas deputy who heard wailing near the Colorado River that would stop only when he shined his flashlight on the water, and an 11-year-old El Paso boy who woke at 4 AM to hear bloodcurdling screams of “Help, help, mis hijos” coming from a nearby ditch while all the neighborhood animals howled in response.