Mexican+Folktale+Research+Paper

​ The Legend of La Llorona

In a tale that claims roots throughout Mexico and the Southwestern United States, it is nearly impossible to pinpoint when the legend of the weeping/crying woman La Llorona first originated. The earliest connection to the tale of La Llorona arises around 1500 in the capital city of the Mexicas (Aztec City) known as Tenochtitlan. The goddess Chihuacoatl was said to have taken the form of a woman draped in white garments and throughout the night was heard crying out “oh hijos mios…ya ha llegado vuestra destruccion. Donde os llevare?” (Oh my children…your destruction has arrived. Where can I take you?) In this version of the tale it was believed goddess Chihuacoatl was calling out in reference to the Spanish conquests of Mexico. Another source of this tale dating around the time of 1550 comes from the story of La Malinche, a young slave girl that spoke both Aztec and Mayan. She later became the mistress of Hernán Cortés and gave birth to his children. The king and queen of Spain feared Cortés was creating his own army in the new land, thus prompting them to request his return to Spain. After denying the king and queen request numerous times, the king and queen decided to send a Spanish woman to seduce Cortés. At the urging of this woman, Cortés does agree to return to Spain with her and his children. When La Malinche learns of Cortés’choice, she takes her children to the lake and murders them. It is after her death that people tell the stories of hearing and seeing La Malinche around the lake crying out “Oh hijos mios.” (Oh, my children), it is for this reason that she is given the name La Llorona. Another source of the La Llorona tale is Maria’s story. This version does not have an original location; however, it is the most recited La Llorona tale of the Southwestern United States. Maria was a beautiful girl, so beautiful that even though her family had little money she thought she was better than others. Maria felt because of her beauty she would marry a handsome and rich man. In the end, Maria got what she wanted by marrying a handsome ranchero who eventually grew tired of Maria and married life. This ranchero was heading home one day and stopped to tell his children that he was leaving and taking them with him and the beautiful new woman at his side. Maria saw this new woman and heard what the ranchero was planning to do and in a rage she called to the children to come with her to the water. It was after she drowned her children or just threw them into the water, she realized her mistake and to this day she wonders up and down the river calling out “mi hijos…Donde estan mis hijos?” (my children…where are my children?) To this day, people all over the Southwestern United States claim that the La Llorona is the figure they see or hear haunting their lakes, rivers, streams, and arroyos. The legend of La Llorona has been around for many years and as it is passed down from generation to generation and from community to community, as with any folktale or legend, there is much to learn from the story or by the story. Joe Hayes states it best when saying “In the oral tradition, references to La Llorona fall into three categories: 1) vague warnings that she might be wandering about; 2) legendary tales that explain the origin of the crying ghost; and 3) anecdotes of encounters with her.” (Hayes 2004) Whether you associate La Llorona with the Aztec goddess of Cihuacotl, Cortés’ mistress La Malinche, or the beautiful Maria, all the tales are in remembrance of a young woman out in the night searching for her children.

Works Consulted Hayes, Joe. //La Llorona The Weeping Woman//. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2004. Lowery, Linda and Richard Keep. //The Tale of La Llorona//. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, Inc., 2008. Perez, Domino Renee. //There Was A Woman Ll Lorona from Folklore to Popular Culture//. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2008. Weiser, Kathy. //Legends of America//. July 2010. 8 July 2010. <[|www.legendsofamerica.com/gh-lallorona.html]>.