Federico Stories

In Guaymango, there is a mysterious cave (figure 1), which the locals believe is the Devil’s House, an entry to hell. Figure 1. Devil’s Cave. ¹ Many people assure you that if you walk around the San Martín Canton, you will find a narrow path that is surrounded by deep vegetation and cornfields. After a while, you will find two huge stones that guard the entrance to the cave. If you reach this place on the wrong day, a massive golden snake is going to devour you. Only a few had escaped and said it came from the deepest part of the cave. Some drunk people walked around the cave at midnight, and they walked in circles for hours because they lost their way. This is dangerous and they assure that even during their hangover, they still couldn’t know their path for hours. They are sure anyone, even sober people, can lose their path. People who regularly walk around the cave start listening to some creepy laughs like coming from hell. On one occasion a man tried to see what was happening and t...

Long ago, a red-headed coral snake (figure 1) appeared in a pond in the canton of El Cajón de Huizúcar in La Libertad. No Indian had ever seen a snake like this one in their lives. The snake was very skilled. It lived between rocks and a small waterfall not so far from the pond. Its eyes could paralyze anyone who saw it directly. It constantly chased anyone who dared to bathe in its pond, paralyzing it. Then, the snake left the person paralyzed among some rocks as if nothing had happened. Perhaps someone could save this human by luck, or other animals would enjoy it. No one should date to enter its domains. Figure 1. The coral snake. Nowadays, strong storms have transformed the snake’s pond into a creek. This created new abundant small caves in the surroundings where the snake hides, waiting for its next prey. Be careful if you ever visit its pond.

In the 1900s, in the San Pablo canton in Cuscatlan, many women made amazing hand-made comals (kinds of large pans made from clay). They were the best in entire El Salvador, and everyone wanted to know their secrets. These women used to sell their comals in some unique baskets every Sunday at noon around the municipality. Many people, especially the pupusa makers (las pupuseras in Spanish) , jumped to them when they heard those women saying: "Comals! Comals! 2 for 0.15 cents! Comals of all sizes! Do you want a comal?" Everyone ran and approached them because they wanted one.  Over the years, in the 1920s, a man decided that he deserved to know these women’s secrets. He went to spy on them. He found that the women were making the comals in an odd cave next to a forest (figure 1) every Saturday. He had never seen that cave in his life. He descended around 120 stairs until he reached the secret place where the women made their mystical comals. Figure 1. Dwarf’s Cave....

Many years ago, in Culuco, Nahualism was widespread. This was an ancient art that allowed people to shapeshift into animals. Its local sorcerers were experts on it. However, one day, they committed a serious offense against the Catholic Church. One that really enraged it. In those days, the inhabitants of Culuco were terrified by almost every animal. No one was sure if an animal was an animal, or it was one of the sorcerers! Some assured, they could transform into any animal you could imagine, dogs, cats, cows, etc. Their powers were unmeasurable. At any moment, any animal could revert back to its human form and frighten them to death. Many people often fainted and lost their belongings after these experiences. However, one Thursday during the winter solstice of 1855, an important priest decided to go there and organize a special mass. He organized it in a beautiful church inside the cave (figure 1). He started his mass, but strangely no parishioners arrived. He was shocked bec...

The Cukinca cave (figure 1) is where place many paranormal events have happened over the last 200 years in El Salvador. The gossip said by dropping three water drops in a row, in a specific pool, they can hear a sound like “Cu-kin-ka.” And this is where the story begins! Figure 1. The Cukinca Cave One Indian man decided to test this cave and dropped the three water drops using a banana leaf. Suddenly, he noticed a pile of well-ordered stones at the bottom of the pool. He tried to disarm them for a while. He did all that he could and left the pool. However, when he turned around, the stones were piled up again, as if nothing had happened. And this phenomenon has been repeated over the years multiple times. Years later, a man decided to drill and dry the pool for unknown reasons. After he had dug a narrow ditch, he left the pool. After he had dug a narrow ditch and left the pool, he died the same night due to severe fever, and the pool was restored to its original state. Ov...

Long ago, in Jayaque, its citizens were very humble, and their lives were around working and meditating without any worry. They mostly understood some basic things like the sun hides behind the clouds and always returns every morning, and its light gives them life allowing them to farm. Furthermore, the people gathered around a cave in a half-moon shape and wondered about everything related to nature like the rain, the wind, the volcanoes, mountains, everything around it. However, for them, nothing was more magnificent than the moon. It always changed its shape, and during the new moon, the cave majestically illuminated. They always wondered, how was it possible it illuminated when the beautiful moon vanished from the sky? Where was it going? This cave certainly raised more questions than answers, and its mystery remained unanswered for hundreds of years. Nevertheless, one night, a curious man undertook the quest to chase the beautiful moon, and with a herculean effort, he hoped he...

Many moons ago, in an ancient Maya city called Cihuatán (in Nawat), there was an attractive woman called Cozumel. Everyone knew her in all cities and towns around Cihuatán. All men were attracted to her because of her incredible smile, and black eyes that felt like you were diving into the deepest part of the ocean. Her hair was long and black, and when any man spoke to her, he melted because her voice was so sweet and soft no one could resist. Plus, she had a fantastic body that seemed surreal everyone loved her (figure 1). Some people add that she was a woman of very humble origins. Her father was a carpenter and her mother a midwife. They didn’t possess anything that anyone could envy. Figure 1. Cozumel. ¹ One day, she traveled to one of the most prominent temples: Tazumal. At that place, she was received as always with absolute pleasure and enjoyment by the inhabitants. During an important ritual, she met a warrior from that sector. They started to talk and later to dat...