Federico Stories

Long ago, a shaman cursed a man for no clear reason. The shaman was just in a bad mood and decided to make his eyes extremely strong (figure 1). They even reached a terrible point that if any weak child exchanged glances with him, the child would get sick immediately. The child would suffer for weeks from uncommon diseases that are hard to treat. Some of those unlucky children died if they were not treated fast enough. Figure 1. The strong eye. Unfortunately, almost every surviving child inherited the strong eye cursed also and shared it with the newest generations, creating a vicious cycle forever! That’s why over the years more and more children across El Salvador started to suffer from unexpected illnesses that no doctor could treat and just hope for the best. Be careful if you ever meet one of these cursed men! Inspired by Dinora Flores’ version collected by Ennis Arely Arevalo Girón, Lissette Amelia Gutierrez Paz, and Karen Liseth Mancia Bonilla in their  thesis ...

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...

Long ago, many Salvadoran sorcerers loved a pretty young girl and wanted to marry her, but she did not like any of them and rather ignored their constant proposals. She didn’t want to be rude. The sorcerers tried all that they could to change her mind, offering gifts, flowers, cacao, everything! However, she didn’t change her position and never accepted anything. After many attempts, they got irritated and in an angry moment yelled at her: “As revenge that none of us can love you, we will cast a spell on you so only us, can see you!” She ignored those wicked words and carried on with her life. She hadn’t seen or heard from the sorcerers for a while. A few weeks later, the girl went to take a bath in a pond located near the corner of a millstone, now Nahulingo. She loved to swim naked in that pond when the sun rose. However, that morning, something was strange, the sun didn’t rise as always, it seemed a bad omen, but she still  took off her clothes and started swimming as always. ...

Many moons ago, on the top of the hill of Conchagua (figure 1), there was a small cave where a beautiful woman used to live. This woman was a witch, who used her magical powers to steal money from the wealthy people of those days. That Witch was baptized as Juan Francisca Callejas, although people from her region called her Juana Pancha. She used her powers to do things that everyone thought were just a childish dream-like flying from La Unión to Managua from Managua to San Salvador or transforming mangoes into bananas. And yes, she flew like a bird, but sometimes faster, up to a point, she disappeared among clouds. Figure 1. The hill of Conchagua in La Unión, El Salvador. Juana Pancha flew all those massive distances to steal from wealthy people in faraway lands. She visited their palaces, farms, and even the city halls, but for an unknown reason, she had an obsession with the wealthy people of the city of Antigua Guatemala. These acts of devilry were unimaginable bec...

Long ago, a tall, white, and good-looking man appeared from nowhere on a cold night, along the cobbled streets of Zacatecoluca. He had a lonely and melancholic air and resided in a tiny cabin. He claimed to be Rafael María Guirola. Mr. Rafael was born in Spain and became a successful businessman in El Salvador, where his first businesses were related to trading. He got married to Gertrudis de la Cotera y González, of Spanish descent, and from their marriage in 1826 was born Ángel Guirola de la Cotera. Ángel was sent by his family to study for his bachelor’s degree in Guatemala City. After his graduation, he worked for a couple of years in one of the largest pharmacies there, owned by Mr. Pío Porta. In 1844, Ángel returned to El Salvador, where he spent his savings and acquired some loans to buy a few lands that he dedicated to the cultivation of indigo. He showed a great ability to export this product and extended his business throughout the Caribbean, Panama, and the Un...

The Amate is a well-known tree in El Salvador. Its tree is unique from others in its physical structure and nature. Its trunk is very thick and badly formed because it has some protuberances, which make the trunk look like a badly made cable roll, its branches also are a little badly formed. If you look at them closely, they have a claw look. In short, a tree is out of the ordinary, besides not giving flowers or fruits. The Salvadorans say this tree has a dark secret about its deformed branches. At midnight, in the crown of it, a beautiful white flower is born, which falls to the ground. The man who manages to grab it will have everything he wants, love, money, health, immortality, anything!  But it is not so easy because the real test is to fight against the devil , who is the owner of this flower (figure 1). Figure 1. The devil and the Amate Flower. ¹ Everyone knows this is a fight to the death. If the devil wins, he takes the soul of that man. However, if the man ...

It was a dark and cold night in the middle of 1933 when I was riding my horse near the old Guirola Estate. This night was foggier than I expected and I could barely see what was in front of me. I wasn’t sure what time it was when I heard the church of San Antonio clock rang and understood it was almost midnight. Several myths surrounded the Guirola Family because they were extremely rich and powerful. They were part of an elite group called “The 14 Families” or the Coffee Oligarchy. On my way back, I appreciated a spectacular light on the top of a hill not so far. It was in Guirola’s cottage when suddenly, a black rider reared his black horse. The view was crystal clear. It was the Black Knight (figure 1)! I used my spurs to make my horse faster than ever we needed to reach our house, we couldn’t stay here any longer! All legends say, “If the Black Knight caught you, you would not be able never to see the daylight again!” Figure 1. The Black Knight.  ¹ I tried to f...