Federico Stories

Hundreds of years ago, a colossal giant called Sisimico (figure 1) lived in a canyon in San Vicente. The giant scared everyone for generations, but one day, it vanished and left his bones only. His bones rested at the bottom, resting his arms on the edges of the sidewalls, contemplating from there with his cyclopean eye watching the beauties of the surroundings, especially, its amazing, beautiful pool of crystalline blue waters. Figure 1. Sisimiaco. ¹ In recent times, an archeologist discovered that the bones came from a mastodon and presented them to the Pope in the Vatican City. They decided that it was an excellent piece to exhibit in one of the Vatican Museums, where it lays until today. Also, the word Sisimiaco comes from the Nahuatl Sisimitil , which means goblin or witch. A word that was associated with this unique place that sadly vanished from our lands in 2009 after a landslide. Inspired by Rafael González Sol’s version. Credits: ¹  A Total War Saga: Troy Leyen...

Have you ever wondered how to share the magic of Salvadoran Fairytales and Legends with your children, but you don't know how? What if you could do it all at once in English and Spanish? 🤔 Today, I'm bringing you a Virtual Book that you can share with your beloved ones and show them the magic of El Salvador 🪄. You can explore a piece of the Salvadoran traditions, landscapes, locations, and four beautiful stories: Tangaloa, "The Guardian of the Sea," Cipitio, Tenancin, and the Dwarf. Feel free to share them with your beloved ones. And if you read more and enjoy quality time with your children, feel free to read the extended editions: Timeless Stories of El Salvador

Everything started in 1995 in Puerto Rico. A new beast arrived from nowhere on that island and started to suck the blood of all farm animals leaving their bloodless corpses only. The beast looked like a heavy creature, the size of a small bear, with a row of spines running from the neck to the base of the tail (figure 1). It was a scary beast that the locals called the Chupacabra. Figure 1. The Chupacabra.   ¹ The beast or beasts (because it seemed it had siblings) started to teleport and move across Latin America and the US, reaching one terrible night in 1996, the Elias Village in San Vicente, El Salvador. On that night, a goat around 6 months old appeared dead with serious wounds caused by unknown fangs around its neck and forelimbs. What’s more, its third leg was broken savagely leaving it without bloodlessness. The goat was discovered by its owner (the Granados Family) after he heard uncommon noises that sound from a faraway land. Also, he noticed that the rest of his goa...

Cuicuizcatl was a legendary Indian (figure 1), who was born in Tehuacán City and her name in Nawat means  swallow bird . Figure 1. Cuicuizcatl.  ¹ She lost her husband during the Spanish colonization as many other women and became widowed. After this, she fled with her daughter, who hid in her chest, so no one noticed she wasn’t alone. She only spoke the Indians’ language. During the following weeks, she hid in uncountable forests, jumped ravines, thorns, and wildflowers until she reached the Chinchontepec. As a newly widowed mother, she wanted to retain a low profile. Especially that the Spanish Conquistadors had kidnapped them before, and now they were fleeing from them. Cuicuizcatl walked for hundreds of km until she reached the demonized god’s abode, where water boils and dances happily when it burns in hell. She was tired, thirsty, injured by the soles of her feet that she fell with her little daughter on a bed of colored pebbles. The stars gav...

Long ago, in the Chinchontepec surroundings, a woman of incredible beauty used to live. Unfortunately, her life was extremely tough because every time she met a new man, he got madly in love with her, wanted to marry her, and procreate his offspring with her. The woman couldn’t understand these mad situations and was losing her marbles. Plus, for unknown reasons, she could not love or feel any attraction to any of her wooers. Hence, she constantly fled from one place to another to avoid creating unrealistic expectations. One day during the dry season of 1254, the woman decided to climb to the top of the Chinchontepec to rest from her wooers. Near the crater, she decided to take a nap. Some hours passed when a young man appeared from nowhere, and immediately upon, looking at her, he fell in love as had always happened. The man tried to propose her marriage as many had attempted, but at this moment, the volcano erupted as never before. It ejected ash plumes and erupted lava as ne...

Many moons ago, the Cipitio ultimately encountered a girl who wasn’t frightened of him. Her name is Tenancín. This little girl became his girlfriend because she perceived something in the Cipitio that no one had ever seen. She discovered he wasn’t a bad guy. He was just mischievous and liked to crack jokes.  Plus, giving flowers to all the pretty girls in El Salvador, just to make them smile. People in the villages from San Vicente describe Tenancin as a very small and pretty girl with brown eyes and long hair, who is constantly smiling (figure 1). Figure 1. Tenancín.  ¹ One day, Tenáncin was cutting flowers for her grandmother’s birthday. She explored the forest, La Joya. However, she forgot how to come back and started to scream and run lousily, through the forest, when she reached the corolla where the Cipitio was sleeping. She noted it and was confused in the beginning because she always thought the Cipitio was only a legend. Legends used to discourage the gi...

During the 1800s, there was a woman living in San Vicente. She had an abusive relationship with her husband, who didn’t respect her. Her husband was an alcoholic man who drank every night, at least two bottles of “Agua Ardiente.” He yelled at her all the time because she was not as beautiful as her sister, and she was not as good at having sex as she was. Her life was miserable, and it didn’t matter what she did, it was never enough. Five years later, her husband abandoned her with her sister, who was better at everything. She didn’t know what to do; in these times, divorce was a terrible sign. Her life was socially finished, and she was more miserable than ever. She looked like a normal Indian with dark skin, black eyes, and short and curly hair. Nothing special and her age limited her to start a new life. After many months, she considered committing suicide because she didn’t have any social life, and her family isolated her from her group too. She was forced to become a lone...