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A collection of Latin American monsters, ghosts and otherworldly creatures are ready for their spotlight this espooky season. Notable legends such as el Chupacabra, La Llorona and El Cucuy have long terrorized a good night’s sleep, but what about the other monsters and legends lurking with just as much vindication and blood gurgling desire?
This Halloween, we’re spotlighting legendary horror figures and legends from across Latin America and the Caribbean; from shape shifters to legends steeped in revenge or tragedy. These 10 picks are sure to scare your chanclas off!
Note: Variations of these legends can be found all over Latin America and difference from country to country or from one family to the next.
Translating to “the hairy hand,” La Mano Peluda is a popular legend in Latin America that describes a rogue hand that terrorizes children and nighttime lurkers.
In Mexico the legend goes that a vile man owned a pawn shop in town, and was largely disliked by everyone. When he died, his hand would crawl out of a grave and would seek victims to kill and tear off their eyeballs. In Colombia, the hand would also appear from under beds, windows, and doors.
A ghostly figure wanders the countryside and lures men to their death. She is said to have a womanly figure and is wearing a gown. But her face is that of a horse.
According to the legend in El Salvador, a woman named Sihuehuet (“beautiful woman” in Nahuatl) used a brujas’ magic to marry a prince. She was unfaithful to her husband, and birthed a child from an affair, named Cipitio. When Cipitio’s father learned that she was leaving her son alone to be with men, he cursed her to wander the countryside and lure in “mujeriegos.”
There are various versions of this legend.
In Puerto Rico, the legend goes that a farmer named Jacinto was walking his cows along Playa Jobos. He tied his favorite cow along his waist, and when it fell off the cliff, it pulled Jacinto to his death. The natural formation in the rock was likened to a well and is located in Playa Jobos, Isabela. Allegedly when visitors go to the location and say “Jacinto dame la vaca” the waves hit harder.
A blood sucking leather cowhide navigates the Rio Gamboa in Chile, to immobilize prey and use the force of water to drown and kill unsuspecting victims. With claws that resemble carpet fringe, the cowhide uses its suction powers to trap victims and carry them underwater into a deep cave, where the hide will suck up every ounce of the victim’s blood.
El Cuero calls the Rio Gamboa home, and ancient people credit high disappearance rates across this river to this blood thirsty monster.
Legend goes that a woman had an affair that resulted in an unwanted pregnancy. After he disappeared she fled to the coast and abandoned her baby near a tule, which is a hat made of banana leaves. When she repented and returned, the baby was gone. She was then cursed into a monsterous form often described as half woman, half avian. Wearing the tule, she wanders the river the river looking for her baby.
Other versions of the legend see her more of as a demon, who often lures “lustful men” with her nude figure. And then others allege she’s an old woman that wanders villages, causing people to disappear.
A child’s innocent disobedience turns into a tragic tale about the importance of following orders. Legend has it, that in Ecuador, Maria Angula was given money by her mother to buy tripa mishqui (traditional Ecuadorian dish made with cow or pig intestines). Instead, Maria Angula spent her mom’s money on sweets. Her guilt was too strong, so Maria dug up a grave and stole intestines from a corpse. The corpse’s ghost haunted her to return its intestines, and eventually dragged her out of bed and into the night.
In the Venezuelan rainforest, a woman’s ghost draws wandering and unfaithful men with her beauty, but once they embrace, La Sayona wails and turns murderous. The legend dates back to the 19th century, where Melisa, a married woman, finds out that her husband has been cheating on her. She goes to her mother, who tries to console. Fearing her mother is in on the scandal, Melissa murders her own mother. Her mother’s corpse curses Melisa, saying “You will become La Sayona. The vengeful spirit of wronged women.”
There are many legends associated with this ethereal black dog. The most famous Guatemalan legend has it that a god-send dog would look over Juan Carlos, a man who would come home late at night after working. A white dog would appear, shaking, and would walk away and disappear once Juan Carlos came home. Legend has it that the supernatural spirits takes on two forms: white, to represent divine guidance, and black, to represent evil, temptation, and danger. In other countries, the black dog symbolizes a demonic entity.
Known as a shape-shifting sorcerer, the Huay Chivo transforms at will and during the night. Covered in black fur, it stands on two horse/goat legs, along with the torso of a human and the head of a goat. The Huay Chivo is known for killing cattle, and it is said that its presence is near when a foul smell or a wave of cold air suddenly appears. Looking into the Huay Chivos’ red eyes causes fevers and sickness.
Serving as a protector of the rainforest, The Boitata is a mythical fire serpent that protects the forest and attacks anyone that inflicts harm on mother nature. The fiery serpent possesses the ability to incinerate anything that crosses its path, and is also said to possess several eyes throughout its body which causes madness in visitors.
