The Tamales Woman of Cuzcachapa Lagoon

The neighbors of the Cuzcachapa Lagoon in Chalchuapa say that in ancient times, there was a small cave, where the woman of the tamales (figure 1) appeared at midnight. Later, she embarked on her journey to attempt to sell her magical tamales, saying: “Fish Tamales! Tamales! Tamales! Would you enjoy any Mr.?”

Figure 1. The tamales woman. ¹

The people who passed by said that at night there was a fire inside a cave, probably to cook something or to get warm from the cold. However, those who came a little closer could perceive an irresistible smell of tamales.

Some people, who overcame the fear, tried to enter from the back of the cave just to see the woman, with her back hunched and who came out carrying a heavy pot on her back. This always happened before she left to sell her tamales.

There were always people ready in the surroundings, who shouted to her that they wanted to buy her tamales. However, she did not listen to them and just continued her way through the night with the pot resting on her head, walking, and ignoring the shouts of those who spoke to her.

She yelled in a very sharp tone: “Fish Tamales!” Also, she always had multiple exits, where she could leave the cave from any side. Therefore, she was untraceable.

Over time, the stories about the old tamale woman became extremely popular. Many locals and fishermen saw her at midnight, always leaving the same cave, walking among the trees and bushes. Nevertheless, she never wanted to sell a single tamale, she always ignored them.

All those years, no one was able to reach her to buy a single tamale. It was as if the old woman disappeared halfway, and left the smell of the tasty tamales. She made them extremely hungry.

Some fishermen said, on a certain occasion, a group of risky friends decided to outwit this spirit, trying to do what no one had ever done to buy one tamale.

They fished at night and purposely walked between rocks and the mountain until they reached the entrance of the mysterious cave. Suddenly, they saw the fire was lit inside the cave and decided to go and look for the old woman to buy some tamales.

When they entered, she was there, somewhat plump, of small stature with her back bent, wagging to the pot that contained the tamales. They greeted her politely and asked, “good evening, lady, could you sell us some tamales?”

The old tamale woman kept wagging the pot, without turning them over to see.

“Sit down,” She replied, “some are going to come out.” And so, they sat on some stones around the cave.

One by one, the old woman began serving the tamales in their garden leaves. They smelled so good that they began to eat them in a hurry. The rich taste of the dough that opened in their mouths changed suddenly. One of the guys felt the taste of something rotten, and everyone began saying, this meat is rotten!

Exalted they went to the pot, where the tamales were, and each one was shocked! Their skin suddenly burned, when inside the pot were human remains, a skull, a hand, and one foot!

“The tamales were death itself!” They shouted frightenedly and fled.

At that moment, the old tamale woman let out a dark scream that echoed throughout the lagoon, haha haha! Now you know, my tamales’ secret ingredients! Haha haha!

Many people, who were around the cave, saw her pale and disfigured face with a twisted smile that caused terrible fear. Nobody knows if this old woman was a ghost or a witch. However, one thing was for sure, the craziness in her eyes was unreal.

The truth is that some nights, you could go through the streets near the lagoon entrance, and you can still hear her dark scream. Those who frequent the lagoon can still see the fire inside the cave and smell the rich smell of tamales. Nevertheless, nobody dares to want to confirm the story. What about you? Do you want fish tamales?

Inspired by Leyendas de El Salvador’s version.

 Credits:
Location: Laguna Cuscachapa, Chalchuapa, El Salvador

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