With Halloween around the corner, it’s to be expected that more ghost, ghoul and goblin stories are being passed around. Some of nosotros are fans while others really aren’t, regardless, year round no one is ever safe from seeing an “espooky”.
Keep reading, if you dare, about some of our favorite espookies and how to avoid crossing paths with them.
La Llorona
One of the most well known espooky tales claimed by Latinos is that de la Llorona or the Weeping Woman. She has had sightings within Mexico and the Southwest region of the United States.
The most popular version of la Llorona’s origins begins with a regular woman named Maria and her unnamed wealthy husband. The couple was deeply in love and soon enough had two children of their own.
One day, years into their marriage, Maria and her children were walking by the river. She saw her husband riding a horse with another, younger woman. At the sight of this, Maria became furious and vengeful. Blinded by rage, she threw both children into the river inevitably drowning them in one foul swoop.
When she cooled down from her rage, she realized exactly what she had done and immediately began to search for her children in the river. The two disputed endings to her story include her wailing alongside the river in search of sus hijos or immediately throwing herself into the river as well, being cursed by the heavens to roam the river, also wailing “mis hijos”.
No matter what version is being told, Maria’s human or ghost form is seen by running water, wailing “mis hijos” in a tattered white dress. It is said that she will appear to parents who are neglectful or abusive to their children or told by parents whose children won’t behave.
El Silbón (The Whistler)
The tale of El Silbón is exclusive to Venezuela and certain regions of Colombia. Characterized as an evil spirit of sorts, with multiple versions being passed on from generation to generation.
The version I grew up with and am most familiar with is that of a young boy who had major mood swings despite receiving everything he wanted or wished for. One day, the young boy wanted to eat animal intestines and organs, so the father set out to hunt. When the father came back empty handed, the boy became so enraged that he murdered and gutted his father, bringing those intestines to his mother to be cooked for dinner that night.
When the mother discovered the intestines and organs were not that of an animal, but of the father, she and the boy’s grandfather tied the young boy to a tree. They lashed his back, cleaning it with hot peppers and boiling water, then releasing a dog named “Tureco” to bite the boy’s ankles as punishment for his actions.
This display of punishment didn’t come to a close until the grandfather placed a curse which required the young boy to carry a bag of his father’s bones with the dog nipping at his ankles so he never stops roaming.
The only way you will know he is near is if you hear his whistling that follows the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, G, with the following scale A, B, C, D ascending and E, F, G, A descending. The close you hear his whistling, the farther he is while the farther away his whistling sounds, the closer to you he is. Calling for the dog’s name, “Tureco”, is the only way to live to tell the tale of how you nearly crossed paths con el Silbón.
A Modern Opposition to Los Espookies
Some of us aren’t as into the spooky tellings of stories, and that’s where the self-proclaimed “Representative Latinos Against Spooky Sh*t,” Jonathan Perez Galvan, comes in.
His tik toks and instagram reels are composed of reactions to clips that he either found or were sent to him through DM’s. For those of us who are drawn to seeing spooky things on occasion, but really can’t handle much more than that, he is hysterical to watch.
Perez even provides the best remedy to those who do see such “spooky sh*t” in the most relatable ways including lighting tus Jesus candles or having your chanclas at the ready. In some extreme cases, he’ll even provide truly logical reasoning to invite your abuela to live with you, to scare off los espookies obviously!
To hear more espooky stories and clips, or simply on how to prevent los espookies, follow Jonathan Perez Galvan on Tik Tok or Instagram @latinosagainstspookyshit.
