La Llorona (Woman In White)

According to folklore, La Llorona is Spanish for the crying woman. She is often called the Woman in White or Weeping Woman, which is the ghost crying for her dead children. There are many variations to this legend on where she was born, who she married, and how she got pregnant. But in every version, it always comes down to her murdering her two sons in a river. She is usually given a Christian name such as Sofia, Linda, Laura, and Maria. She is always said to be walking down rivers and creeks in her white gown wailing into the night, searching for children to victimize. Probably the most well-known version of this legend is the Weeping Woman of the Southwest.

This story takes place in New Mexico . La Llorona, christened Maria, was born into a peasant family around the time of the Conquistadors. She captured the attention of the men of the village with her mesmerizing beauty. She would spend days with her family, but at night, she was said to go out to the local fandangos wearing her best white gown, entertaining the men of the village who admired her. During this time, she gave birth to two sons, but it is unknown how she got pregnant. She eventually married a wealthy man who spoiled her hand and foot. He gave her all his love and attention. He was everything a woman would want in a husband. However after a couple years of marriage, she began to bore him with her two sons and his character began to change drastically. He became an alcoholic and a womanizer, often leaving Maria and the boys for months at a time.

One evening, as Maria was walking with her children down a shadowy pathway near the river, her husband came by in a carriage with an exquisite woman beside him. He stopped and said hi to the children and took off. Filled with resentment toward her children, Maria went into a terrible rage. She took her children and threw them into the river. As they disappeared down the stream, she realized that what she did was wrong. Filled with guilt, Maria ran storming down the streets wailing into the night.

In the days following that fateful night, she refused to eat and spent the days walking along the river, hoping to find her children. She got thinner and thinner as the days went on. She finally died along the banks of the river.

It is now said that La Llorona's spirit walks along the banks of the Sante Fe River at night, indiscriminately killing men, women, and children. Her wailing became a curse of the night and people became afraid of walking outside after dark. Although La Llorona's spirit kills anyone who comes in her path, she specifically targets those who don't treat their families well, in order to teach them a lesson.