Beware La Llorona: Vengeful Spirit That Will Claim Your Soul
Every year, there are numerous La Llorona sightings. Have you ever encountered this real-life terrifying legend? If you’re traveling along Trabuco Creek near San Juan Capistrano, visiting O’Neill Regional Park, or planning a trip through Fresno’s Snake Road, you’re bound to come across one of the powerful vengeful entities that haunt the older parts of Mexico that now make up the state of California: La Llorona.
La Llorona, or the Weeping Woman or sometimes called the Woman in White, is the vengeful spirit of a mother who drowned her children only to spend eternity searching for them at every lake and river. Till this day, people who believe in her are afraid to go out after dark. Parents believe that she would snatch their children and throw them to their deaths in the flowing waters.
On the other hand, she has been known to drag anyone foolish enough to get close to her to a watery grave. Before earning a reputation as a fierce spirit, La Llorona was christened Maria. She was married to a wealthy man who showered her with gifts and love. However, after bearing him two sons, he returned to his old womanizing ways and left her months at a time. He even talked about leaving her to marry a woman of his own class.
One day, while taking her children for a stroll, her husband rode by in a carriage with an elegant woman by his side. He stopped to talk to their children, but ignored her. Maria went into a fit of rage, seized her children, and threw them into the Santa Fe river. Some stories say that she, either in remorse or to try to save her children, jumped into the river herself and drowned. Others say that she would walk every day and night along the river, searching for her boys. The white gown she wore became soiled and torn and it wasn’t long before she died, starved and broken hearted, on the banks of the river.
There are, of course, other versions of how La Llorona came to be.
In one story, Maria was born to a peasant family in the village. Her startling beauty made her win the hearts of every man she came across. As a result, she chose to spend her evenings in the local fandangos and revel in their admiration. Unfortunately, the fact that she had two young sons hindered her nightly activities. One day, the boys were found drowned in the river. Some say they died because of her neglect while others believe she killed them. Another version of the legend states that La Llorona was an evil woman who cheated on her husband. Hating the fact that they kept her from her lover, she killed them. However, she was condemned to wander the earth looking for them.
