Federico Stories

In Chalchuapa, on some special nights, many mysterious people walk along the main street of the town. They walk while carrying candles, and flowers and some of them carry a curious black coffin (figure 1). Figure 1. The Funeral. ¹ The crew stops for a brief moment at the entrance of the town and if any curious person was looking at them, one of the people leaves the event briefly. The person offers them a lighted candle as a souvenir. However, the next morning, the candle had transformed into a human bone! The curious person who received it begins to go silent and gets feverish and dreams about what they had seen until they go crazy and in a couple of days he dies of fright. Be careful if you ever walk in Chalchuapa alone! Inspired by  Hilos Narrativos ’ version. Credits: ¹  Hilos Narrativos

In 1995 on October 31 st , I was coming back from a long trip to Panama. My company had sent me to deliver several tons of coal and wood to the canal. It had been one of the most tiring trips in my life. I just wanted to reach my house and sleep in my bed. Around 1am, I reached Izalco and tried to go directly to my home, but suddenly, I saw some curious lights moving in the cemetery. I had never seen any lights in the cemetery at night. I decided to park next to the Ash River (Río Ceniza in Spanish) and entered the cemetery to check what was happening. I started to walk carelessly inside the cemetery when suddenly, a white dog approached me with a kind of stick, but as soon as he left it next to me. I noticed it was not a stick, but a massive bone. The dog fled as soon as it had released the bone next to me. I only crossed myself and kept walking inside the cemetery. I thought nothing important had happened. After a while, I started to hear some strange words from behind, "Kakasb...

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...

Once upon a time, there was a woman who wanted to have a godmother. However, she did not want every godmother, she wanted Mrs. Death (figure 1). This woman wanted to know her destiny and was sure Mrs. Death could help her. Figure 1. Mrs. Death. One day the woman went to visit Mrs. Death’s cabin. She was not there that day, but the woman still entered her cabin. She would wait inside. Several minutes later, she started roaming around and noticed thousands of black candles. Each of them had an imprinted theme. A tiny one had her name imprinted, María Flores. After she read her name, she had a premonition: "She would die of a rare disease soon." She was shocked because she did not have any notable disease. She was a healthy woman! Suddenly, Mrs. Death appeared silently from behind and gave her an ointment. She also gave her precise orders on how to use it, "Use this ointment on your feet but be careful you should not smear on it your head. This can cure you of that rare di...

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 even...

Everything started in 1995 in Puerto Rico. A new beast arrived from nowhere on that island and started to suck the blood of all farm animals leaving their bloodless corpses only. The beast looked like a heavy creature, the size of a small bear, with a row of spines running from the neck to the base of the tail (figure 1). It was a scary beast that the locals called the Chupacabra. Figure 1. The Chupacabra.   ¹ The beast or beasts (because it seemed it had siblings) started to teleport and move across Latin America and the US, reaching one terrible night in 1996, the Elias Village in San Vicente, El Salvador. On that night, a goat around 6 months old appeared dead with serious wounds caused by unknown fangs around its neck and forelimbs. What’s more, its third leg was broken savagely leaving it without bloodlessness. The goat was discovered by its owner (the Granados Family) after he heard uncommon noises that sound from a faraway land. Also, he noticed that the rest of his goa...

Long ago, a dirty and scary woman (figure 1) started to visit Guatajiagua’s rivers every midnight. Every citizen believes she came from the Honduran virgin jungles. Figure 1. The dirty woman. The men described her as an evil spirit. She presents herself mainly when they are drunk, returning to their homes as a beautiful woman washing her clothes on the banks of the closest river. She later calls the men asking them for their support. The men tend to fall in love and approached her. After they speak for a while, she presents her true face! Most men tried running, but only a few have escaped. The lucky ones returned to their homes and for the unlucky ones, no one knows their destiny. Inspired by Valdemar Bolainez’s version collected by Ennis Arely Arevalo Girón, Lissette Amelia Gutierrez Paz, and Karen Liseth Mancia Bonilla in their  thesis  Cultura Popular de Guatajiagua.

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 ...

When passing by the path that goes around the hill in Guatajiagua, a ghost ( El Espanto in Spanish ) appears from nowhere (figure 1). Figure 1. The Guatajiagua ghost. Everyone is afraid to pass near the hill because the ghost loves to scare all men. The ghost searches for new ways to be always in front of all men and throws their hats. Most men try finding another way to avoid the ghost. However, the ghost will keep chasing until around 11 or 12 PM. At this time, the men will be able to reach their homes. Generally, their women will be waiting for them angrily, demanding to know why they are so late at home. Suddenly, the ghost appears in the courtyard, and the women ask, “who is that bundle that is passing by?” Then the men always answer: "He is the one who would not let me pass, I was afraid of that one, and so I came late." Inspired by Hipólito Cruz’s version collected by Ennis Arely Arevalo Girón, Lissette Amelia Gutierrez Paz, and Karen Liseth Mancia Bonilla in their...

The Ilopango elders always speak of a supernatural beast called the Mulus. They are afraid of it and its powers, and they refer to the General Cemetery as the Valley of the Crosses. Many of them assured they were near to being devoured by the Mulus when they walked close to the cemetery at night. The Mulus is a creature from the world of wrath, with a shape almost identical to a wolf but of a larger size. It is a very frightening and contemptuous beast that you can only see in cemeteries at night. Every midnight appears when a person is buried and checks their tombs to see if they were murdered or wicked people during their time on Earth. When it finds those tombs, digs them, and devours their corpses (figure 1). Also, while it’s eating, it makes the noise that is known as “MULUS!” Figure 1. The Mulus. Some gravediggers said a few people saw the Mulus, for the first time in a cemetery in Rosario, La Paz in the 1900s. For them, the Mulus represents a neutral being that is i...

In many villages around El Salvador, the amate tree (figure 1) is highly respected. Its structure is unusual and full of mysteries. Its branches have a wailing appearance and the thickness of its foliage. The tree is a piece of art, but it is also a symbol of fear. Figure 1. The amate tree. Many old people say you can’t sleep at night under the Amates because they throw bones. There is on top of the legend that a  flower  blooms from it that can be seen only by deaf and young children. Inhabitants of Morazán evade the tree at night. They say it is the moment when the trees scare the most. Some people throw bones to frighten it. However, if they don’t do it on time, the devil appears and offers them whatever they desire. It’s advisable not to pass near them when the sun has set in the sky. The amate trees abound in warm places, especially in Central America and Mexico. In El Salvador, the place where these trees are more common is Morazán. At a certain distance, y...

Many moons ago in a small town of El Salvador, two noblemen fought for the love of a beautiful and distinguished lady, who was the envy of her entire town. In that town, these two noblemen were in love with the lovely lady as no one had ever seen. They constantly tried to impress her with their fantastic duels with their machetes, thousands of gifts, flowers, gold, all that you could imagine! But she couldn’t decide because she wasn’t fascinated by any of them. Many months passed from their last duel when the lovely lady met a young man from a neighboring farm. An extraordinary horseman who toured her farm, in his bright jet-black steed, this was love at first sight. From that day, the two lovers met in an abandoned ranch between the two farms. One night during the full moon, the young rider took his beloved one to the ranch of their intimate encounters. However, that night some eyes followed the lovers below the moonlight; and this person to win favor from his employer gossi...

There is not a more mysterious bird than the owl. They are unique birds that you can only see at night, especially during the phenomenon of the blue moon (figure 1). Figure 1. An owl during the blue moon.   ¹ Many people in El Salvador believe, the owls are the witches’ spirits who roam the Central American skies every night. They say the owls try scaring their victims in dark places before they transform them into mice that can later hunt and eat! Plus, some of them say when you can hear a low whistle from the skies, it is an owl that is flying over you! If anyone tries responding with the same whistle, it will fly to you and scratch your eyes! There are different types of owls in those lands, but the unique ones are the bearded owls . They are a rare species that possess two large and elongated feathers that grow next to its beak. The elders say these bearded owls are sorcerers, who were cursed by an old shaman who converted into owls forever! He did it because they we...

In Nahuizalco, precisely at the town exit that connects with the route to Salcoatitán, there is a place called Teshical. Here, you can find a massive rock that catches everyone’s attention because the locals say that the stone eats humans! How is it possible? You might ask, well, the rock name Tecuantet means “to eat.”  Over the years, many people swear they have heard voices inside the rock that come from the devoured people. Almost everyone agrees the rock has a particular taste in children and affirms this is the main reason for their high index of missing children there. Local authorities have tried multiple times to remove the rock from the place. However, the locals oppose it not because they like rock, but rather because of a deep and unfounded fear that if they do it, a supernatural punishment is going to happen. Plus, all elders think the rock has a protector. Today, they perceive it as an altar, and their people twice a week place some flowers next to it. However...

It was the year 1510 when some of the first Spanish Conquistadors arrived at the lands of Cuzcatlan, which nowadays is known as El Salvador. They arrived with priests and nuns to convert all misbelievers from the region. In those lands, there were two ponds, one was full of odd animals, and the other was cursed (figure 1). Some of the Indians went there to worship a wicked god. He was capable of giving them all they wanted, including cocoa (their gold), power, women, sex, everything! Figure 1. Devil ’ s pond. ¹ However, there was an excessive price to pay. After a couple of days, months, or years, these people, who explored the pond and got their wishes, lost their souls, and some of them just disappeared and were never seen again. Only a couple of them were able to escape from the demon’s powers. These Indians shared that behind the pond, there is a waterfall where there is a secret entrance to the underworld (hell in the Christian world). Also, they showed everyone the ...

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 elders of Apaneca always said that many years ago, when the streets were some dirt and other cobblestones, at midnight every year a horseman, who was riding all over El Salvador came to the city. That horseman dressed in black rode a horse of the same color (figure 1), which fired fire from his eyes and blew smoke from his jaws when it snorted. Figure 1. The Black Horse. ¹ This mysterious rider left in the direction of the coffee plants where the oligarchs used to live when  the Black Knight  arrived at their houses, he forced his horse to dance for several minutes. The only noise that you could hear was his hooves when they were hitting stones. The savage neighing that was emitted by the horse from time to time scared the neighborhood. All people were afraid when the Black Knight arrived because all legends say he returned to take a new soul to hell. However, people were more afraid of his horse. They said the horse rode alone in the city without him. I...

In the 1600s, a poor old woman from the Santa Ana Volcano surroundings was expelled from her lands by the Conquistadors. They stole all that she had and laughed about how poor she was and how she looked like a bandari, they said: “You are just a bandari, get out of here and come back to the jungle with your relatives! You cannot even speak Spanish!” While she was walking around the place for days without food or water, she was starving near the lake when she met an elegant white man wearing a black coat, who asked her: “Dear, why are you so lonely? Did anything happen to you?” She was very surprised and thought she was suffering from some hallucinations because she had been in that place for days and never seen anyone and he spoke her language too. She felt some shivers from the presence of that man. However, she answered that she was expelled from her house and lost everything in the hands of some evil Spaniards. The man was thoughtful and for a while gave her a piece of bread fro...

It was 1953 when I was coming back from Chalchuapa to my hometown Santa Ana City. I was driving my new Ford Crestline Sunliner. It was an amazing night, the sky was clear, no cows in the street, only my car and me. As a single and handsome man, I was the king of the dance floor. A few guys had my style and elegance. However, that night I had a terrifying experience that I will remember all my life. Almost halfway to Santa Ana, I saw the most beautiful woman in my life. She was blonde, tall, had blue eyes, and was very sexy. She was walking in the same direction that I was driving. I stopped for a moment and asked: “Are you lost? It’s quite late, do you need a lift?” She smiled and said: “Sure, I’m going to Santa Ana City. I never expected that such a nice guy would stop and give me a lift.” I felt like I was the luckiest man. I started to talk and flirt with her, showing my best skills. She started to giggle and began to seduce me too. It was the most exciting moment in many mo...

Many years ago, an Indian man was banished from his tribe and forced to live in the forests and mountains of what is now called Central America.   It was there where a demon took possession of him, and from that fusion, the Midnight Yeller (figure 1), a half-human and half-demon beast, of great size was born. Figure 1. The Midnight Yeller. ¹ Theoretically, no one can see such a creature, but its eerie yells break the nocturnal silence in the jungles and mountains of those lands. However, one day, one man swore had seen it, his name is Julio, and his story is as follows. On a Friday in July of 1963, he was returning from a wild party in the streets of Santa Ana. Julio was a very strong man who loved to walk at night. This time, he was walking on a small trail when he passed by the church of El Calvario and heard its bell, he thought it had to be midnight. He got a little scared and stride. Almost, a block near City Hall, for the first time in many years, he noticed that ...