Federico Stories

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....

Long ago, before the creation of the indigenous man on the American territory. In those days, a family with supernatural powers used to live in El Salvador. They were demigods of the mythology of  Cuzcatlan ! They lived in the Salvadorian rainforest. However, despite being a dense and deep jungle, the water was very scarce, and to collect some was needed to walk by long stretches of hostile territory. The worst part was they needed to carry it in clay pots. It was very heavy work that they had to do daily. In those days, there was a family of demigods. It consisted of two elders and two young boys. These were grandchildren of the elder couple who were descendants of Tlaloc. Daily, the grandfather was going to collect water for their chores. He knew where to discover it. However, he never revealed the secret of where he got it. Most of the time, his grandchildren accompanied him and sent them back with water without ever revealing, where, or what part of the jungle he got it. Ne...

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...

My grandpa lived in Chalatenango not so far from Potonico and told me different stories about a man called: “ The Partideño .” When this man wanted to make someone really rich, he said these words: “You WON!” and he invited them to visit him. In this way, he recruited them and transformed them into their new business partners. Some people say the Partideño lived 200 years ago in the 1800s. They equally say there is a hill with some rings and three gold bars. Those gold bars support his coffin and the few who have been able to perceive it before they got mad said the Partideño is sitting there and glaring at you with his cold gaze. Many villagers go up and down in the hills near Pital  to obtain those golden bars and steal them, but no one is sure where they are. As my grandpa says some people can find it some not, but something is inevitable if you discover them, and you try appropriating them you will become mad. The Partideño left a massive treasure valued at millions...

Long ago there was a powerful oligarch in the lands of the Barra de Santiago in Ahuachapan. This influential businessman called Pachacutec engaged his only daughter, Chasca, with the Zutuhil Prince. Chasca was a really beautiful girl with a magnificent smile, body, and hair. She was the star of the city, and everybody wanted to date her. However, Chasca never loved her future husband or any other men in the city. Chasca’s pure heart belonged only to a poor and young fisherman called Acayetl. He delivered the tastiest fish during her 15th birthday, and it was love at first sight. This fisherman lived on Zanate Island. Weeks later, Chasca visited Acayetl every night, and they sang and danced as if there was no end.  Acayetl loved her, and he enjoyed every minute they spent together as if it was the last one.  Plus, from time to time, Acayetl sang to  Chasca  while they were sailing on the coast, and she danced on the top of it. However, one cold night when Ch...