Federico Stories

Did you ever want to enjoy listening while you drive or run the best Salvadoran folklore? What if now you can! Audible and Amazon is bringing you the best of the Salvadoran folklore: Get your copy! Volume 1 Volume 2 Preview:

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...

Hundreds of years ago, in the Canyon of the Olotes (Barranca de Los Olotes in Spanish)  near Izalco, cruel combat happened between the Spaniards and the Indians. On a terrible afternoon, thousands of arrows darkened the sun, trying to stop the Spanish invaders who had come with Pedro de Alvarado, one of their best captains. However, the Spaniards were able to protect themselves with their shields and laugh about their useless weapons. After a while, the Spaniards started to move their forces, and little by little, using their sophisticated  weaponry , they defeated the Indians. After the fight was over, Pedro de Alvarado decided to take a rest because it was insanely hot. However, the heat was so extreme that the rock softened and imprinted his right foot as a sign of their evil precise. Nowadays, everyone living in the Canyon  of the Olotes can appreciate the engraved foot (figure 1) as a memory of the old times and the Spanish Conquest. Figure 1. The Rock of The Conques...

The  2 nd  volume  of 31 of the most memorable legends and fairy tales from El Salvador is ready for all of YOU,  Timeless Stories of El Salvador V2, Epiphany ! It is available in eBook, paperback, and hardcover formats from: Amazon Barnes and Noble Lulu It is time you enjoy the best stories of the Salvadoran nights with your friends, family, and the world 🌎.  Share some small bites of the Thumb of the Americas with everyone you know. Be part of the change that you want to see. The 2 nd  volume includes: Sir Francis Drake, The First Pirate of The Pacific The Death of The Sorcerer of La Nahuaterique The Mulus The Almighty Tlaloc The Mysterious Woman of The Toad River Lake Ilopango The Bewitched Wagon The Dwarf The Bandari Witch The Weeping Woman The Virgin of Izalco The Headless Horseman Tenancin, Cipitio’s girlfriend Prince Atonal The Pirate Treasures of Meanguera Island The Black Horse Tangaloa “The Guardian of The Sea” The Cocoa Lake Coatepeque Snak...

The 1 st volume of 31 of the most unique legends and fairy tales from El Salvador is ready for all of YOU, Timeless Stories of El Salvador ! It is available in eBook, paperback, and hardcover formats from: Amazon Barnes and Noble Apple Books Google Play Books Kobo Lulu It is about time you enjoy the best stories of the Salvadoran nights with your friends, family, and the world 🌎.  Share some small bites of the Thumb of the Americas with everyone you know. Be part of the change that you want to see. The 1 st  volume includes: The good and the bad Cadejo The Siguanaba Cipitio The Headless Priest The Black Knight The Guirola Family The Partideño The Squeaky Wagon The Owls The Lady of the Rings The Cuyancua The Fair Judge of the Night The Managuas Chasca “The virgin of the water” The Fleshless Woman The Enchanted Ulupa Lagoon Our Lady Saint Anne The Midnight Yeller The Lempa River Devil’s Door Comizahual “The white woman” Izalco Volcano The Moon’s Cave The Amate Tree The P...

Many moons, when I was just a child and a “good” kid and attended my school in El Salvador, I never stopped doing the mandatory inspection among my classmates. As “good” kids, I had a daily hobby with my friends. We approached trembling with emotion to spy “the underground,” the devil’s treasure hidden location. Something that everybody wanted, but no one had got it! And now, it’s time to go deeper into this adventure. Let’s go! In 1752 in Izalco (figure 1), there was a large excavation near the cabildo of a church. In its background, we could see from a distance, the entrance to two masonry tunnels. Some people said they discovered them while they were taking soil to make clay, this was a gigantic work. Another curious person explored the tunnels “without being able to find the end,” and they thought it was the entry to the hell itself! Figure 1. Izalco Volcano. Around the town, there was a lot of gossip about this. Some midwives intervened, and after discussions and suspicio...

Long ago, Cuzcatlán had different provinces, which had been appointed by chiefs. They were the local leaders and owed obedience to the Lord of Cuzcatlán. Prince Atonal governed the Izalco area. In Izalco, Atonal had the mission to confront the Spanish invaders and every Indian who joined them in the conquest of Cuzcatlán in 1524 (figure 1). One night, in his council, Atonal took the floor and exclaimed: “My life for our people. Oh, great Lord.” This declaration manifested immense satisfaction in the Atlacatl (the last lord of Cuzcatlán). Everyone presented the spirit of struggle and solidarity as never before. Figure 1. Prince Atonal vs the Conquistadors. ¹   Atonal and his assistants prepared the strategy that was to stop the invaders. He placed a few spies along the coastal paths from the River of La Paz to Caluco. Also, he put a parapet between Mochicalco and Acatepeque, where he placed a Calpulli (a small combat unit composed of a dozen of the best Pipil warriors). ...

Long ago, when the Maya people used to live in El Salvador, at the end of a dry season, some Indians discovered an uncommon animal near a river, which was massive and was half-pig and half-snake (figure 1). The Indians tiptoed and tried to approach it, when, suddenly, they heard a dark squawk, and the animal slid on the river and started to rain. After this, a new wet season began, and they named it the Cuyancua or the Cuyancuat. Figure 1. The Cuyancua, the half-pig, and half-snake animal. ¹ Following this first encounter, the Cuyancua became more prevalent in their lives.  It began to  appear to  announce the wet season or to predict rains, tropical storms, hurricanes, La Niña, and floods, among other water phenomena in some unexpected cases. Nowadays, you can see Cuyancua in the north of Izalco. Here, the citizens say when dusk is falling, they listen to a very dark squawk and feel strong turbulence under the earth, which panics all Indian families...