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...

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 ...

The Cukinca cave (figure 1) is where place many paranormal events have happened over the last 200 years in El Salvador. The gossip said by dropping three water drops in a row, in a specific pool, they can hear a sound like “Cu-kin-ka.” And this is where the story begins! Figure 1. The Cukinca Cave One Indian man decided to test this cave and dropped the three water drops using a banana leaf. Suddenly, he noticed a pile of well-ordered stones at the bottom of the pool. He tried to disarm them for a while. He did all that he could and left the pool. However, when he turned around, the stones were piled up again, as if nothing had happened. And this phenomenon has been repeated over the years multiple times. Years later, a man decided to drill and dry the pool for unknown reasons. After he had dug a narrow ditch, he left the pool. After he had dug a narrow ditch and left the pool, he died the same night due to severe fever, and the pool was restored to its original state. Ov...

In the Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador live a magical snake (figure 1), so massive, and so powerful that all people are scared of it. Some Salvadorans said it looked like a basilisk because it has horns but is partially blind because the Spaniards cut one of its eyes during a war. Figure 1. The snake. ¹ Nowadays, it hibernates in the lake abysses waiting for its return to the surface to continue petrifying more people with its powers. One day the inhabitants said from the year 1700 and beyond the snake started to snort yearly, when this happens, the waters trembled and shook, and everyone can hear the rumblings. Many Santanecos think this is the reason for the powerful quakes that shake Central America. After the snort stops, they assure they cannot stand the sulfur smell that they perceive in the place for three days, a smell the inhabitants associate with hell. They consider the snake came from there. Plus, snort causes the inhabitants to be baffled for many days. ...

In the times when the Amerindians lived alone in the lands of Conchagua, an expected situation happened. One day, all the men gathered to give themselves the task of building a huge water container called: “The Pilona” (figure 1), at the top of a mountain called Chilagual. This was because the goddess of the waters in a dream showed their leader that in that place, he would sprout a spring that would give water to the thirsty people of the lands and their descendants forever. Figure 1. The Pilona. For the following months, the people from Conchagua worked for long periods of time without resting until they finished the Pilona. However, after they finished it, the water did not sprout as promised, not even a drop fell into the huge Pilona. After many months of an intense drought, the citizens gathered and agreed to celebrate a consecration to the goddess of the waters. During the middle of their celebration in the volcano of Conchagua, a cloud appeared in the shape of a winged...

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...