Federico Stories

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...

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...

My grandpa lived in Chalatenango not so far from Potonico and told me different stories about a man called: “ The Partideño .” When this man wanted to make someone really rich, he said these words: “You WON!” and he invited them to visit him. In this way, he recruited them and transformed them into their new business partners. Some people say the Partideño lived 200 years ago in the 1800s. They equally say there is a hill with some rings and three gold bars. Those gold bars support his coffin and the few who have been able to perceive it before they got mad said the Partideño is sitting there and glaring at you with his cold gaze. Many villagers go up and down in the hills near Pital  to obtain those golden bars and steal them, but no one is sure where they are. As my grandpa says some people can find it some not, but something is inevitable if you discover them, and you try appropriating them you will become mad. The Partideño left a massive treasure valued at millions...

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, Mr. Money used to live alone in his gigantic Mansion in San Pedro Nonualco. One day, he decided it was the right time to propose marriage to Mrs. Fortune (figure 1), and she agreed. Figure 1. Mr. Money and Mrs. Fortune. ¹ After they got married, Mr. Money wanted to discover who was the most successful of them because he wanted to prove that the pants are more powerful than the skirts and proposed a game to his wife. His wife was intrigued and asked him: “How are we going to know it? Do you have anything in mind, honey?” “Look, let’s take two beasts from my barn and ride them to the countryside.” Answered Mr. Money. They rode their horses for a couple of hours until they saw a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. It looked so weak that it might collapse in the blink of an eye. “I’m going to ask for some water there; do you want some?” asked Mrs. Fortune. “It’s fine, let’s go.” Answered Mr. Money. However, the couple from the cabin was so poor that they ...

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...