Federico Stories

The Maya and the Kekchi called this genie “Mam,” and the Pipil tribe named it “Man-Agua” (Man-water). During a stormy night in the 500s, a powerful thunder struck the Earth. The Pipil leader left his home to see what was happening. He was already worried because this had been one of the most powerful and long storms in his life. The tribe was losing their cornfields (their main source of food) because of the unstoppable storms. It had been months since the last time any had seen the sun. When he left his house and walked around, he was afraid because he had seen for the first time a white woman (figure 1). The woman was as magnificent as no other, and it seemed that the storm had lowered her to the Earth. Suddenly, she rose again to the clouds, where she had come from, and was unseen for a while. Figure 1. A Managua in the eye of a storm.  ¹ Over the following weeks, many Indians described the same white woman or women appearing across their area. The woman always ...

One day, Quetzalcoatl, the god who symbolized life, light, wisdom, fertility, and knowledge, and was considered the patron of the winds and the day, gave the cocoa tree (figure 1) to all loyal men as a reward for their love and fidelity of their wives. In those days, all men preferred to sacrifice their lives for good people before searching for quick wins and treasures. Figure 1. A cocoa tree. Cocoa was a gift from the gods that could only be consumed by the elite. The flavor of the fruit was bitter, a characteristic that the ancestors related to the suffering of Princess Cacahuaquahitl, who had died during a war. Some Indians said the cocoa was popularized when the princess died, and her blood fertilized the earth and gave life to the most splendid cocoa trees. The Olmecs ground the cocoa beans mixed with water and savored the delight of the seed in the form of a drink. Over time, the cocoa culture spread to the Mayan (600 BCE) and Aztec (1400 BCE) populations. At that t...

During the Spanish Conquista, a Lord tried to force Prince Atonal’s daughter to become his slave. She was a woman of magnificent beauty and indomitable will. Her name was Atlakaki, which means “The Indomitably.” In addition, this Lord wanted to abuse her and turned her into his concubine. However, she told him that she would never be the wife or slave of any invader! She said to him that if he respected her life, she would prepare something delicious to eat for him. The prominent Lord suspected that proposal, but he accepted the offer. The lovely princess prepared the special food and arranged to serve it to him and his guests. During dinner, the Spaniard took a huacal. Later, he called a slave, opened his mouth, and gave him a cup of the atole. The boy had not finished the drink when he fell to the floor with pain, and foam came out of his mouth. The Lord uncovered the princess’s trick and realized there was a mix of coral snake venom to kill him. Atlakaki was imprisoned and...

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...

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...