La llorona

Notas

In those versions from Veracruz in which the llorona has the face of a mule, she appears to men who have evil intentions. They are portrayed as being interested amorously in a woman who is alone and unprotected in a lonely spot. The use of the term llorona to designate this spirit has caused considerable confusion among folklorists, because the same term refers also to the weeping or shrieking woman who frequents watercourses, looking for her lost or murdered child. Yet, some have attempted to set matters straight. Gabriel Antonio Menéndez clarifies the distinction between the llorona and the xtabay, a Yucatecan variant of the female spirit who leads travelers astray or presages their death when she appears: "Esta tradición, que vivió grabada en la memoria de los habitantes de la ciudad de México por más de trescientos años, no tiene semejanza alguna con la de la XTABAY yucateca, pues esta, según la tradición popular, aparece o desaparece siempre tras alguna frondosa ceiba, en los caminos solitarios del Mayab, atrayendo con su belleza y encantos físicos al viajero, a quien desaparece; además, esta XTABAY no lanza gritos ni gemidos.” Some Mexican folklorists and anthropologists have preferred to call this macabre seducer la matlacihua, "the net woman." The term has achieved modest acceptance. Because the legend has widespread currency in central and southern Mexico, including groups that still speak a native language, one might be tempted to seek its origins in pre-Hispanic Mexican culture. This source may appear to be a logical one, when one takes into account only texts obtained from Mexican native sources. It is much harder to swallow, however, when one considers the evidence available from outside Mexico. Belief in such a spirit has widespread acceptance throughout America, principally among Spanish speaking people, although there is wide variety in the names by which the phantom woman is known. The legend shows a remarkable consistency throughout this area. An attractive woman is walking along a country road when she is overtaken by a solitary man on horseback. She some times asks to be taken to a nearby spot, then climbs on the horse, either behind or in front of the man. Later, when he looks at her, her face is that of a skull with gleaming eyes and with her embrace may strangle him. At best he suffers extreme fright or becomes insane. In all cases, she appears to men who have been drinking, have visited houses of prostitution, or are tempted to take advantage of a defenseless woman. In view of the extended geographical range of the legend throughout America, a Mexican indigenous origin seems hardly likely.