Federico Stories

Sir Francis Drake was an English man of noble origins. He had a good education, wealth, and excellent life. However, he felt that something was missing in his life and decided to embark on a new journey to the New World. No one is sure what happened or why his mind changed during these months in the Atlantic Ocean, but something is clear: he became a well-known criminal and pirate over the years. Sir Drake built a solid reputation across the Atlantic due to his multiple berths and looting. Hence, his crew and hem were nicknamed “Sea Dogs.” Sir Drake sailed all his pirate adventures in the Golden Hind (figure 1), a beautiful and impotent ship that was the crown of Sir Drake’s pirate kingdom. Figure 1. Sir Francis Drake and t he Golden Hind.  ¹ Over the year 1578, Sir Drake crossed the Strait of Magellan and headed towards the Spanish Indies in the Pacific. He toured the entire Pacific coast and went from Chile to California. On this journey, he disembarked and plund...

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...

Lake Ilopango (Xilopango) like many other sources of its kind, it’s surrounded by incredible nature and not so far volcanoes like the Chinchontepec. Without a doubt, for these reasons and many more, it was primitively consecrated to the genies of the waters. The ancient Toltec Empire, whose remains are dispersed all across the Americas and the world, in the twelfth century, brought here their civilization. Mainly, their numerous deities to whom it rendered a superstitious cult. Everyone in Ilopango worshiped Tlaloc, he represented the God of Lightning and Tempest and preceded the fertilizing rain. His wife Xochiquetzal was called in Tlaxcala, the Lady of the Blue Dress, and participated in all honors related to her husband. She was extremely beautiful and benevolent and was considered the patroness of waters, pregnancy, and childbirth. Hence in multiple Central American regions, she was particularly venerated and admired. Each year at the time when the cornfields were ready f...

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...

Many moons ago in the Americas, there were several gods, but one of the most important was Tlaloc. He was the god of rain, earthly fertility, and water. All Aztecs and the Salvadoran Pipil people worshiped him from the Teotihuacan’s times. Tlaloc operated in all four heaven areas called Tlalocan, located in the east of the universe, from each area shed a different type of rainfall. Plus, from this paradise, he sent the beneficial and necessary water for all Indians on Earth, so their crops could grow greatly! In  Tlalocan,  Tlaloc lived with his two wives: Xochiquetzal,  the goddess of love, flowers, arts, pleasure, and nature. Chalchiuhtlicue , the goddess of water, rivers, seas, streams, storms, and baptism. And his five children, four boys called  Tlaloques,  and his daughter  Huixtocihuatl . Also, some people shared Tlalocan with Tlaloc, the unlucky, but good ones who perished accidentally by drowning or by dropsy. Here, some permanent crops of all kin...

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...