The Ugly Baby

On January 13, 2001, an earthquake hit Santa Tecla badly. The following days were full of terror. The strong aftershocks that followed the first earthquake led thousands of families to sleep with clothes, and shoes very close to the exit of their homes. No one knew what could happen next.

The fear was so massive since hundreds of people had died because of a landslide in the Las Colinas neighborhood. This situation brought new rumors to the Salvadoran minds. They discovered that just hours after the first earthquake, a horrendous boy was born in Zacatecoluca. Plus, he had predicted a new tragedy was coming on February 13.

The newborn had scared the entire medical staff because of his ugliness. Some believed it was the same Antichrist because he had horns and a tail. One of the nurses was so shocked that she exclaimed, "What an ugly child!"

Figure 1. The ugly baby.

Immediately after the nurse’s words, a frightening voice coming from the newborn answered: "The ugliest event will happen on February 13! You will remember my words."

Some people assured you similar incidents happened at the National Maternity Hospital. Others said a cabbage had spoken and shared with them the same words just before it was sold in the Central Market of San Salvador. Something was certain the prediction was true because, on February 13, a new earthquake hit El Salvador again. More and more people became true believers.

The incidents spread like wildfire all over El Salvador, scaring thousands of people in a blink of an eye. 

Word of mouth was responsible for spreading this story without any evidence.

The skeptic said this is just the reactivation of old history that sprouted in Latin America in times of catastrophes from the 19th century. They said the legend is not El Salvador exclusive. There are similar ones in Mexico and Colombia.

Inspired by Leyendas de La Prensa Grafica’s version.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Guirola Family

The Cuyancua

Comizahual “The White Woman”