Federico Stories

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...

Long ago, a tall, white, and good-looking man appeared from nowhere on a cold night, along the cobbled streets of Zacatecoluca. He had a lonely and melancholic air and resided in a tiny cabin. He claimed to be Rafael María Guirola. Mr. Rafael was born in Spain and became a successful businessman in El Salvador, where his first businesses were related to trading. He got married to Gertrudis de la Cotera y González, of Spanish descent, and from their marriage in 1826 was born Ángel Guirola de la Cotera. Ángel was sent by his family to study for his bachelor’s degree in Guatemala City. After his graduation, he worked for a couple of years in one of the largest pharmacies there, owned by Mr. Pío Porta. In 1844, Ángel returned to El Salvador, where he spent his savings and acquired some loans to buy a few lands that he dedicated to the cultivation of indigo. He showed a great ability to export this product and extended his business throughout the Caribbean, Panama, and the Un...