Latin America

El Cuero of Lake Lácar Told story

Water monster · Lake Lácar, San Martín de los Andes, Neuquén, Argentina (also Chilean lakes) · first reported Mapuche and Chilote tradition · also called El Cuero, Trelque-huecuve

El Cuero, 'the cow hide,' is one of the strangest lake creatures of the southern Andes. A magazine round-up of South American monsters describes it as a splayed-out hide with a hairless head and a backbone, eyes on stalks, and claws. A mouth sticks out from the middle of its body, and through it the creature is said to suck the blood of its victims. The same round-up places it in Lake Lácar in the Andes, listing the lake under Chile, though Lácar lies on the Argentine side near San Martín de los Andes. It compares El Cuero to the Hueke Hueke of the Amazon, also described as a splayed hide but without the blood-sucking mouth. It suggests the legend may come from sightings of freshwater stingrays, though El Cuero as described is larger and more complex than any ray.

• TraditionalTold story A magazine round-up describes El Cuero as a splayed hide with a hairless head, a backbone, eyes on stalks and claws, and a mouth in its midsection through which it sucks blood. It places the creature in Lake Lácar and compares it to the Hueke Hueke of the Amazon, which lacks the blood-sucking mouth. Source: mentalfloss.com

Visiting: Lake Lácar is beside the resort town of San Martín de los Andes.

El Familiar Told story

Beast · Sugar mills of Tucumán, especially the old Ingenio Santa Ana, Argentina · first reported Late 19th century · also called The Familiar

El Familiar is the devil-dog of Argentina's sugar mills. Workers in Tucumán told of a huge black dog with fiery eyes and long claws, sometimes a hairy snake or a giant boar, that roamed the mills at night. It smelled of sulfur and rot and dragged chains. It walked in straight lines through walls, and bullets and machetes could not hurt it. Only a cross-shaped dagger turned it back. The story said mill owners made pacts with the Devil, giving him a worker each year in return for wealth. The legend centers on Ingenio Santa Ana and its French owner, Clodomiro Hileret, whose fast fortune and death at sea fed the rumors. Researchers see it as a story about harsh labor and missing workers.

• July 1971On the record In July 1971, La Gaceta published the testimony of Serapio Almaraz, a former worker at Ingenio Esperanza, about the Familiar. Historians and writers such as Eduardo Rosenzvaig, who did fieldwork at Santa Ana, have since collected workers' memories of the creature. Source: lagaceta.com.ar
• UndatedTold story In San Juan's 25 de Mayo department, a related tale tells of a landowner who grew rich after a pact with the Devil and kept a red-eyed serpent with black fur in a well. A worker had to feed it. After a fire and the owner's death, the place was said to be haunted. Source: tiempodesanjuan.com

Nahuelito On the record

Water monster · Nahuel Huapi Lake, near San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina · first reported 1910 · also called Nahuel Huapi lake monster

Nahuelito is Argentina's lake monster, said to live in Nahuel Huapi, a large lake in Patagonia beside the town of Bariloche. Witnesses describe a giant serpent, a set of humps, or an animal like a plesiosaur. The story goes back to the early 1900s. Buenos Aires Zoo director Clemente Onelli collected reports of strange animals in Patagonian lakes from 1897. In 1922 a published witness account led to Argentina's first organized monster search. Sightings, an alleged Navy chase and photographs have followed over the decades. None has been confirmed. A nearby lagoon is now nicknamed the Plesiosaur's Lagoon.

• 1910On the record George Garret described an animal 5 to 7 metres long rising about 2 metres above the water, roughly 400 metres away. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1922On the record Garret's story was published in the Toronto Globe, prompting Clemente Onelli to organize the first search expedition. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1960On the record The Argentine Navy is said to have chased an unidentified underwater object for 18 days without identifying it. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1988On the record The Río Negro newspaper published photos showing an object near the Bariloche shore. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Visiting: Bariloche's lakefront and boat tours on Nahuel Huapi are popular with visitors.

Nguruvilu Told story

Water monster · Limay River and Lake Aluminé, Neuquén, Argentina (also central Chile) · first reported Mapuche tradition · also called Ngarrafilu, Fox-snake

The nguruvilu is a river monster of Mapuche belief. Its name joins the Mapudungun words for fox and snake. It is pictured with a fox's head on a serpent's body, though some say a cat's head or a bloated, ox-like body. Its long tail ends in a claw, which it uses to grab people and pull them under. It is said to make a ford look shallow to lure travelers in. In Neuquén it is linked to the Limay River and Lake Aluminé, and in Chile to places such as Coinco. The safe way across was by boat. Mapuche communities left offerings and avoided saying its name, and a machi or sorcerer could threaten it into leaving a crossing alone.

• TraditionalTold story One story tells of a man crossing the Limay River who lost his whole pack train of horses to the nguruvilu and barely escaped himself. Mapuche communities made offerings of straw and wheat dough to keep the creature calm, and avoided saying its name aloud. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Ucumar On the record

Ape-like · Salta Province, Argentina (Rosario de la Frontera, Arroyo Salado, Metán) · first reported Andean folklore; modern reports 2000s · also called Ukumar, Ucumar Zupai

The Ucumar is the Andean wild man of northwest Argentina, with similar tales in Bolivia, Peru and Chile. Witnesses describe a hairy creature that walks on two legs, about 2 metres tall, reddish-brown to black, with sharp claws. Reported footprints run to 17 inches. Interest spiked in the early 2000s around Rosario de la Frontera in Salta. A couple said a hairy giant approached them in 2001. In 2003 a colt was killed and the Ucumar was blamed, leading to a search with police, mounted rangers and firefighters. Searchers reported howls and tracks but no animal. Some suggest the spectacled bear, though that species is much smaller and does not live in Argentina.

• 2001On the record A couple in a wooded area near Arroyo Salado said they were approached by a creature over two metres tall, covered in hair, with very sharp claws. Source: cryptomundo.com
• 2003On the record After a colt was killed near Arroyo Salado, a judge backed a search by about 20 police, 15 mounted rangers and 12 firefighters. They reported strange howls and prints, and a dog that chased something and vanished. Source: cryptomundo.com
• 2003On the record TV cameraman Miguel Moreno said he heard leaves crunching and glimpsed a dark shape. Source: cryptomundo.com

Tata Duende Told story

Humanoid · Forests of Belize · first reported Traditional Belizean and Yucatec Maya lore · also called Nukuch Tat, Tata Balam

Tata Duende is a forest dwarf of Belize, about three feet tall, with backward-pointing feet and no thumbs. He wears a wide-brimmed hat, sometimes a red one, and sometimes animal skins. People say you recognize him by his whistle. Some tellers say he smokes cigars and plays the guitar. He is said to lure children into the jungle and to braid horses' manes and little girls' hair. To escape him, the advice is to hide your thumbs and show only four fingers, so he takes you for one of his own kind. He is said to appear mostly during Lent, especially on Good Friday. Yucatec Maya know him as Nukuch Tat or Tata Balam and ask his permission before entering the bush or going hunting. He has appeared on a Belizean postage stamp.

• TV investigationOn the record The Syfy series Destination Truth went looking for Tata Duende in Belize in a fifth-season episode. The show suggested that spider monkeys might explain at least some of the sightings. It is one of the few times the Belizean forest dwarf has been the subject of a televised investigation. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Visiting: Tata Duende has appeared on a Belizean postage stamp.

Kharisiri On the record

Humanoid · Bolivian Altiplano: Achacachi, El Alto, Lake Titicaca and Lake Poopó areas · first reported Colonial roots; active belief today · also called Khari-khari, Lik'ichiri

The kharisiri is the Bolivian Altiplano's version of the Andean fat-stealer. It looks like an ordinary person, though some say it can take animal form. At night, people say, it uses a small device called a maquinita to draw fat from near a victim's kidney. The victim later suffers fever and stomach pain and may waste away. August is said to be its peak month. The belief is strong around Lake Titicaca, especially near Achacachi, and in El Alto. In older tellings the tool was a needle or a bell. Now it is said to be foreign machinery. A traditional healer, or yatiri, is said to diagnose an attack by reading the pulse.

• 1983On the record In 1983, a man suspected of being a kharisiri was lynched near Lake Poopó, according to a Bolivian magazine. He had reportedly bought a truck and did not share with the community. The story shows how the belief can land on people who seem to get rich too fast. Source: bolivianexpress.org
• 1991On the record During the 1991 cholera outbreak in the area south of La Paz, accusations and reported cases linked to the kharisiri rose sharply. In El Alto, a healer called Doña Juana said her daughter had been attacked and was cured after a yatiri read her pulse. Source: bolivianexpress.org

Boitatá Told story

Lights · Fields and forests of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul (also across Brazil) · first reported 1560 (José de Anchieta) · also called Baetatá, Biatatá, Batatão

The boitatá is a creature of fire in Brazilian folklore. Its name means 'thing of fire.' In 1560 the Jesuit José de Anchieta described a 'baetatá' as a bright beam that attacked and burned people near beaches and rivers. Later tellings make it a fiery snake with eyes like two lamps. In Rio Grande do Sul it is a black serpent that guards the fields and forests. In Santa Catarina it is said to be bull-sized, with giant paws and one huge glowing eye. It protects the land from people who set fires. Anyone who meets it may go blind, mad or die. The name changes from state to state. A biologist has suggested that moving natural fire or marsh lights may lie behind the image.

• 1560On the record In 1560 the Jesuit José de Anchieta wrote of a 'baetatá,' meaning 'thing of fire,' a glimmering beam of light that rushed at and attacked Indigenous people living near the sea and rivers, especially on beaches. It is the earliest written record of the boitatá and the root of its name. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• TraditionalTold story Santa Catarina lore describes a bull-sized boitatá with giant paws and one great glowing eye in its forehead. In Rio Grande do Sul it is a large black serpent that guards fields and forests from people who set fires, and is used to frighten children into behaving. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Cabeça de Cuia Told story

Water monster · Meeting of the Parnaíba and Poti rivers, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil · first reported Traditional Piauí legend · also called Crispim, Gourd-Head

Cabeça de Cuia, 'Gourd-Head,' is the river monster of Teresina, the capital of Piauí. In the best-known version, a young man named Crispim struck his mother with a bone from his soup, angry at how little food he had been given, and killed her. Before she died she cursed him with a huge head shaped like a gourd and turned him into a monster of the Parnaíba River. One account says he must spend half the year in each of the two rivers that meet at Teresina, the Parnaíba and the Poti. He can only be freed by devouring seven maidens named Maria. People say he still lives in the Parnaíba, searching for the Marias. In the region's lore he is also the guardian of the two rivers, friendly to those who respect them and dangerous to those who profane them. Some versions say he attacks women hoping one is his mother, come back to forgive him.

• TraditionalTold story In the legend, Crispim kills his mother with a soup bone in a fit of anger. Her dying curse gives him a huge gourd-shaped head and sends him into the Parnaíba, and one account says he spends half the year in each river. He will be freed only after eating seven maidens named Maria, and people say he still searches for them. Source: portalsaofrancisco.com.br

Capelobo Told story

Beast · Pindaré River basin, Maranhão, and Xingu River basin, Pará, Brazil · first reported Traditional; known to the Guajajára people · also called Cupelobo

The capelobo is a night beast of northern Brazil, known among the Guajajára people of Maranhão and along the Xingu in Pará. It has a long snout like a pig, dog or giant anteater. In one form it looks like a tapir with black hair and round feet. In another it stands upright, much like the mapinguari. It is said to scream to announce itself, to crush its victims or suck blood from the neck, and to eat brains. At night it steals puppies and kittens from forest camps. Its only weak spot is its navel, covered in fur, which must be struck to kill it. Some tellers say Indigenous men of great age turn into one. The name is said to join a Guarani word meaning crooked or lame with the Portuguese word for wolf.

• TraditionalTold story In the Maranhão variant, called cupelobo, the creature has a giant anteater's snout. Tellers say it roams near forest camps in the dead of night, screaming to announce itself, and snatches newborn puppies and kittens. Its only weak spot is its fur-covered navel. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Chupa-Chupa of Colares On the record

Lights · Colares Island, Pará, Brazil · first reported 1977 · also called Chupa-chupa, Colares lights

In 1977, people on the Brazilian island of Colares, in Pará near the mouth of the Amazon, reported an outbreak of UFO sightings. Witnesses said glowing objects attacked them with intense beams that left burn marks and puncture wounds. Locals came to call the lights 'chupa-chupa,' a name usually translated as 'sucker-sucker.' The reports grew serious enough that the Brazilian government sent a team to investigate under the codename Operação Prato, or Operation Saucer. It was the first Brazilian Air Force operation set up only to look into UFO reports. The government later recalled the team and kept the files classified until the late 1990s.

• 1977On the record Residents of Colares reported intense beams from glowing objects that left burn marks and puncture wounds. The Brazilian government sent a team under the codename Operation Saucer (Operação Prato), the Air Force's first operation set up only to study UFO reports. The team was later recalled, and the files stayed classified until the late 1990s. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Curupira Told story

Humanoid · First recorded at São Vicente, São Paulo; known across Brazil and the Amazon · first reported May 30, 1560 (José de Anchieta) · also called Caipora, Kurupira

The curupira is a guardian of the Brazilian forest with feet that point backward, so hunters who follow its tracks go the wrong way. It is small but strong, with a foul smell. Descriptions vary: blue or green teeth, big ears, bright red hair, or a bald head with a shaggy body. It mimics bird calls and human voices and gives a high whistle to confuse travelers. It punishes those who hunt or cut too much by making them lose their way. Hunters leave tobacco and cachaça to stay on its good side. The first written mention came from the Jesuit José de Anchieta at São Vicente on May 30, 1560, who described it as a feared demon. São Paulo state later adopted it as a symbol.

• May 30, 1560On the record Writing from São Vicente on May 30, 1560, José de Anchieta described the curupira as a demon the Indigenous people feared, said to attack, wound and kill in the forest. Early Jesuits saw it as an evil force that people tried to calm with offerings. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Mapinguari Told story

Beast · Brazilian Amazon (Acre, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia) · first reported Oral tradition; reports through the 20th century · also called Mapinguary, Juma, Kida harara

The Mapinguari is the dreaded beast of the Amazon forest. Stories describe a hairy, foul-smelling creature that walks upright, with claws like a jaguar's and feet that are twisted or turned backward. Some versions give it one eye, or a huge mouth running down its belly. The name is often traced to a Tupi-Guarani phrase about a twisted foot. Researcher David Oren gathered accounts from Indigenous people, rubber tappers and miners. He suggested the stories might preserve memories of giant ground sloths, which had bony armor everywhere except the belly. That idea fits the legend that only the navel is vulnerable. Critics note ground sloths vanished thousands of years ago, and that the one-eyed details look like folklore.

• 1930Told story An explorer named Inocêncio claimed he shot an upright animal near the Uatumã River. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1937Told story A report described a three-week rampage that killed hundreds of cattle, blamed on the Mapinguari. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1970s-2001Investigated report Ornithologist David Oren interviewed dozens of witnesses and hunters. He collected seven claims of killed animals but no remains were kept. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 2003-2004Told story A Karitiana hunter named Geovaldo described an encounter in Rondônia. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Minhocão On the record

Beast · Southern and central Brazil (Goiás, Paraná, Santa Catarina) and Uruguay · first reported 1840s (published 1847) · also called Giant earthworm of Brazil

The minhocão, Portuguese for 'big earthworm', is a giant burrowing creature reported in 19th-century Brazil. Naturalist Auguste de Saint-Hilaire brought it to wider notice in 1847. He wrote that it looked like an earthworm but bigger, with a visible mouth, and that cattle went missing near lakes in Goiás. In 1877 German zoologist Fritz Müller gathered reports from southern Brazil of huge trenches, rivers pushed off course and orchards torn up. One described an animal about 25 metres long with two horns on its head. Sightings faded in the 1900s. Writer Karl Shuker has suggested an outsized caecilian, a limbless burrowing amphibian. Others once proposed a surviving armored glyptodont.

• 1847On the record Auguste de Saint-Hilaire described the minhocão and linked it to livestock vanishing near the Rio dos Pilões and lakes in Goiás. Source: karlshuker.blogspot.com
• 1840sTold story A report from the Rio dos Papagaios in Paraná, later gathered by Fritz Müller, described a creature about 25 metres long with two horns. Source: karlshuker.blogspot.com
• 1849Told story At Arapehy in Uruguay, a dead specimen was said to have skin as thick as pine bark. Source: karlshuker.blogspot.com
• around 1870Told story Near Lages, witnesses described a beast nearly a metre thick with a snout like a pig's. Source: karlshuker.blogspot.com

Varginha Creature On the record

Humanoid · Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil · first reported January 20, 1996 · also called ET de Varginha

On the afternoon of January 20, 1996, three young women in Varginha said they saw a strange being crouched by a wall on Rua Dr. Benevenuto Braz Vieira. They described a large head with three bumps, skin with vein-like marks, and eyes like red balls. They told their mother they had seen the devil. The story grew to include UFO sightings, military trucks, beings taken to a hospital, a police officer's death and dead animals at the local zoo. A 2010 military inquiry said the 'creature' was a local man known as Mudinho, crouching and probably dirty, and that the troop movements were routine. Skeptic Brian Dunning argued nothing unusual happened. Varginha embraced the story, with alien-themed bus stops and a saucer-shaped water tower.

• Jan 20, 1996On the record On January 20, 1996, three women aged 14 to 22 reported a being crouched by a wall on Rua Dr. Benevenuto Braz Vieira. They described a big head with three bumps, vein-like marks and eyes like two red balls, and told their mother they had seen the devil. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 2010On the record A 2010 Brazilian military inquiry concluded the women saw a local man, Luiz Antônio de Paula, known as Mudinho, crouching by the wall. It said troop and truck movements were routine. Skeptic Brian Dunning later argued that nothing unusual had happened at all. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Visiting: Varginha has alien-themed bus stops, souvenirs and a 20-meter water tower shaped like a flying saucer.

Caleuche On the record

Lights · Waters of the Chiloé Archipelago; favored ports Quicaví, Tren-Tren and Llicaldad · first reported Traditional; Navy reports 1909 and 1911 · also called Buque de Arte, Buque de Fuego

The Caleuche is the ghost ship of Chiloé. It is said to appear at night as a brightly lit vessel, with flutes, horns and drums drifting across the water, then vanish in an instant. Its crew are said to be sorcerers and drowned sailors, and the ship can turn itself into a tree trunk or a rock. Tellers say it lures and kidnaps sailors with its music, trades goods with merchants who make pacts with it, and favors the ports of Quicaví, Tren-Tren and Llicaldad. Chilean Navy officers reported strange lights and a lit, silent vessel in 1909 and 1911. Natural explanations offered include glowing sea creatures, phosphorescence and electrical effects. The legend has given its name to the exoplanet HD 164604 b and to Caleuche Chasma, a canyon on Pluto's moon Charon.

• 1909On the record In 1909, officer Agustín Prat aboard the Chilean Navy vessel Huemul reported two large white lights hovering about a meter above the water and moving along at speed. The account is often cited as an official sighting of the Caleuche, while others suggest glowing sea life or electrical effects. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1911On the record In 1911 a guard officer aboard the ship Copiapó recorded a brightly lit vessel that passed close by without stopping, without making noise and without answering their signals. It is the second Navy report often linked to the Caleuche legend. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Invunche Told story

Humanoid · Chiloé Island, Chile (guarding warlocks' caves) · first reported Traditional Chilote lore · also called Imbunche

The invunche is the most disturbing figure in Chiloé's folklore. Tellers say a warlock steals or buys a firstborn baby under nine days old and twists it into a guardian. Its head is turned backward, its limbs are bent, and one leg is attached to the back of its neck, so it hops on one foot or moves on one leg and two hands. It is said to have blue skin and sharp teeth and to communicate only in rough, guttural sounds. It guards the entrance to the warlocks' secret cave, serves as an advisor, and is used for revenge. The invunche has crossed into world literature, from José Donoso's novel The Obscene Bird of Night to Bruce Chatwin's In Patagonia, and into comics and TV. In Chiloé it remains part of the lore of the island's warlocks.

• TraditionalTold story Chilote tradition says a warlock kidnaps or buys a firstborn baby less than nine days old, twists its head backward and fixes one leg to the back of its neck, and raises it on black cat's milk and goat flesh, later on human corpses. It then guards the warlock's cave and serves as his advisor. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Piuchén Told story

Winged · Chile, especially Chiloé (Lake Huillinco) · first reported Mapuche and Chilote folklore; recorded 1914-1915 · also called Peuchen, Pihuchén

The Piuchén is a blood-drinking flying serpent from Mapuche and Chilote lore, known across Chile. The most common picture is a winged snake about half a metre long with a bristly body. Other versions give it a parrot's beak, a toad's body and a snake's tail. It sucks the blood of people and animals, especially sheep and cattle. It announces itself with shrill whistles, and its stare can freeze a victim. On Chiloé it is said to haunt Lake Huillinco. Farmers had folk remedies, like adding white goats to the flock or blowing an ox horn. Only a machi, a Mapuche healer, could truly defeat it. Zoologists think the common vampire bat lies behind the legend.

• 1914-1915Told story Chilean folklorists Francisco Javier Cavada and Julio Vicuña Cifuentes recorded Piuchén beliefs from oral tradition in Chiloé and central Chile. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• TraditionalTold story A Piuchén's lair was said to be marked by bloody urine under a tree. To kill one, people plugged the tree hollow and set it on fire. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Visiting: Lake Huillinco is on Chiloé's main island.

Trauco Told story

Humanoid · Forests of Chiloé Island, Chile · first reported Traditional Chilote lore · also called El Trauco

The Trauco is a small, ugly forest man from the folklore of Chiloé in southern Chile. He is about the size of a dwarf or goblin, with legs that end without feet, and he carries a little stone-headed hatchet that he uses to strike trees. His gaze is believed by some to be deadly to men. To young and middle-aged women he is said to have a powerful, irresistible pull. In Chilote tradition, when the Trauco was taken to be the father of a child born outside marriage, the woman was considered blameless. He is described as the son of the serpent spirit Coi Coi-Vilu and the husband of La Fiura.

• TraditionalTold story Chilote belief named the Trauco as the father of children born outside marriage, and in such cases the woman was considered blameless, since his pull was thought impossible to resist. He is said to be married to La Fiura, another figure of Chilote lore. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Visiting: Trauco figures are sold as crafts in Chiloé's markets, such as those in Castro and Dalcahue.

El Hombre Caimán Told story

Water monster · Plato, Magdalena, on the Magdalena River, Colombia · first reported Legend said to be in the press by the 1940s · also called The Alligator Man

In the river town of Plato on Colombia's Caribbean side, people tell of the Alligator Man, a creature with a man's head and an alligator's body. In the story, a man named Saúl Montenegro wanted to spy on women bathing in the Magdalena River. A shaman from the Guajira gave him two potions, a red one to turn into an alligator and a white one to turn back. One day a helper spilled most of the white potion, and only his head turned human again. Shunned, he lived alone until his mother died, then drifted down the river to the sea at Bocas de Ceniza. The tale inspired the famous song 'Se va el caimán,' an annual festival and a monument in Plato.

• TraditionalTold story The legend names Saúl Montenegro, the red and white potions from a Guajira shaman, and the helper who broke the white bottle. After his mother died he left down the river to Bocas de Ceniza. The story is said to have appeared in the press in the 1940s. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Visiting: Plato holds a yearly Hombre Caimán festival and has a monument and square in his honor.

La Patasola Told story

Humanoid · Mountain forests of Colombia (Antioquia and the coffee region in many tellings) · first reported Traditional Colombian folklore · also called One-foot

The Patasola is a one-legged forest monster of Colombia. Her single leg ends in a cloven, cow-like hoof. In her true form she has bulging eyes, cat-like fangs, a hooked nose and big lips, but she can take the shape of a beautiful woman, often looking like a loved one, or of a large black dog or a cow. She preys on men who work in the woods: hunters, loggers, miners, millers and herders. She lures a man away from his companions, leads him deep into the jungle, and drinks his blood. Origin stories vary. In one she was mutilated with an axe; in another she was an unfaithful wife killed by her husband, whose spirit now haunts the mountains. She is also described as protective of nature and the forest animals, and unforgiving toward people who come to change or destroy their home.

• TraditionalTold story Folk accounts say the Patasola blocks jungle shortcuts, confuses hunters and throws hunting dogs off the scent. She calls a man away from his companions, often in the shape of a lovely woman or someone he knows, then shows her true form and attacks him. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Monster of Lake Tota Told story

Water monster · Lake Tota, Boyacá, Colombia · first reported 1652 · also called Diablo Ballena, Devil Whale

Lake Tota, Colombia's largest natural lake, sits more than 3,000 meters up in Boyacá. It was a sacred place for the Muisca. Spanish-era writers recorded tales of a monster in its waters, called the 'devil whale': a fish with a black head like an ox, larger than a whale. A sighting is credited to Doña Andrea Vargas in 1652. Historian Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita wrote about it in 1676. Later travelers, including Gaspard Mollien in 1823, Manuel Ancízar in 1852 and José Jerónimo Triana in 1880, noted that locals still spoke of a 'black monster.' Ancízar doubted the stories. Writers since have pointed to wind-whipped waves and slimy lake matter as possible sources.

• 1652On the record Historian Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita wrote that in 1652 Doña Andrea Vargas, a lady of the district, spoke of having seen the creature in Lake Tota. It is the earliest dated report. In 1823 traveler Gaspard Mollien recorded the local belief that a monstrous fish could occasionally be glimpsed briefly rising from the depths. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1676On the record Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita recorded accounts of the creature in his general history in 1676. In 1823, French traveler Gaspard Théodore Mollien noted that people in the region still spoke of the monster in his travel journal. Both writers passed on what locals told them. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1852On the record In 1852 Manuel Ancízar, writing for the Chorographic Commission, mentioned the legend but doubted it. In 1880 José Jerónimo Triana noted that the tradition of a 'black monster' in the lake still lived on among local people. Later exploration of the lake eased the old fears. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Visiting: Lake Tota's western shore is a popular tourist spot, and the area is one of Colombia's major onion-growing regions.

La Segua Told story

Humanoid · Costa Rica (country roads) · first reported Colonial-era folklore · also called La Cegua

La Segua is Costa Rica's dread of the night road. In the usual telling she appears by the roadside as a beautiful young woman and approaches men who are out drinking or chasing women, asking one of them to take her to her horse. Once he agrees, she shows her true face, which is that of a dead, rotting horse. One Central American round-up says she was a girl cursed after she disobeyed her parents and went to a party they had forbidden. The story is close kin to the Siguanaba found elsewhere in Central America and to the Cegua of Nicaragua, where tellers say there is not just one Cegua but several. In Costa Rica it is still told as a warning to men who follow strangers on dark roads.

• TraditionalTold story A Central American legend round-up describes Costa Rica's Segua as a beautiful woman cursed for disobeying her parents. She seduces unfaithful men and then shows a face like a horse's. The same source lists La Carreta sin Bueyes and La Tulevieja as Costa Rica's other classic night legends. Source: diariodemexico.com

Lake Arenal Serpent Told story

Water monster · Lake Arenal and the Piedras River, Guanacaste/Alajuela, Costa Rica · first reported Before the modern reservoir (date unclear) · also called Culebra de 30 metros, Arenal lagoon monster

Before Lake Arenal became the big reservoir it is today, people around the old Arenal lagoon told of a giant serpent said to be about 30 meters long. Witnesses described a head as large as a cow's and eyes like giant fire-colored marbles. It was said to live underwater, surface thrashing in a spray that could be seen from nearby hills, and leave a trail a meter wide on the riverbanks. People around Arenal Viejo, Mata de Caña, the Piedras River and La Argentina passed on sightings. One local hunter claimed he fired 18 rifle shots at it. A more recent sighting, the story goes, turned out to be a big twisted log rolling in the waves. Wikipedia's list of lake monsters records a cow-headed, horned serpent at the Arenal lagoon.

• UndatedTold story Evencio Pérez said he saw the creature about 100 meters away at the edge of the old Arenal lagoon and described its eyes as fire-colored, like giant marbles. Others near Arenal Viejo and Mata de Caña also told of the snake, and of meter-wide trails left on the riverbanks. Source: nacion.com
• UndatedTold story Local hunter Lecho Solano claimed he fired 18 rifle shots at the snake. A later 'sighting,' reported by a friend of Coquita Delgado, turned out to be a huge twisted log moving in the waves. Ufrán García's July 24, 2008 newspaper piece treats the story as local lore. Source: nacion.com

Visiting: Lake Arenal, below Arenal Volcano, is a major tourist area with boat trips and windsurfing.

Güije Told story

Water monster · Rivers and pools of Cuba; Remedios and the Charco de la Jícara · first reported Cuban oral tradition; in print by the 1930s · also called Jigüe, Chichiricú

Güijes are small water beings of Cuban folklore. They live in rivers, ponds and pools. Most tellers describe a short, dark-skinned, human-like figure, naked or dressed in leaves, but some describe a hairy beast. Güijes are mischievous and sometimes cruel, though some stories make them playful. Folk advice for calling one up includes offering a cigar, walking twelve times around a sacred ceiba tree at midnight, or gathering seven men all named Juan. The town of Remedios has its own tale, 'El Güije de la Bajada,' and the Charco de la Jícara pool is named in Cuban writing about them. Poet Nicolás Guillén wrote a 'Ballad of the Güije' in 1934, and Silvio Rodríguez sang about one.

• 1934On the record Poet Nicolás Guillén included 'Balada del Güije' in his 1934 collection West Indies Ltd., bringing the river creature into Cuban literature. Singer Silvio Rodríguez later wrote a song called 'El Güije,' and Julia Calzadilla's 1993 book Los Chichiricú del charco de la Jícara tied the creatures to a named pool. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• TraditionalTold story In Remedios, the legend of the Güije de la Bajada is told as part of the town's lore. Folk advice says a güije can be called with a cigar, by circling a ceiba tree twelve times at midnight, or by gathering seven men all named Juan. Source: en.wikipedia.org

La Ciguapa Told story

Humanoid · Mountains and forests of El Cibao, Dominican Republic · first reported 1866 (first known written version) · also called Ciguá (Cuba)

The ciguapa is a wild woman of the Dominican mountains. She is usually shown naked, with hair down to her knees and feet that point backward, so her tracks lead the wrong way. Early tellings made her small, with golden skin and dark almond eyes, and unable to speak. She is said to come out at night, leap through the trees, steal food and braid horses' manes at dawn. Some versions make her shy and lovesick, others a man-eater who lures men into the hills. The first known written version is an 1866 story by Francisco Javier Angulo Guridi. Scholars argue whether she comes from Taíno belief or was invented for national pride. A gecko found in El Cibao was named Sphaerodactylus ciguapa in 2012.

• 1866On the record Francisco Javier Angulo Guridi published 'La ciguapa' in the Dominican paper El Tiempo in 1866, the earliest known written account. His ciguapa was jealous of human love. Seeing a couple together made one of them die of fright, and then the ciguapa died of sorrow. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1935On the record In 1935, writer and later president Juan Bosch stressed the ciguapa's backward feet in an essay on Indigenous history and legends, helping fix that trait in the public mind. In 1949 painter Jaime Colson made the first known artwork of ciguapas, showing them with horns and claws. Source: en.wikipedia.org

La Tunda Told story

Humanoid · Esmeraldas, Ecuador (also Colombia's Pacific coast and Chocó) · first reported Afro-Ecuadorian and Afro-Colombian oral tradition · also called Tunda

La Tunda is a shapeshifting forest being of the Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador. She belongs to the oral tradition of Afro-descendant communities there, including those of Colombia's Chocó department. She takes the shape of someone her victim loves, often a child's mother, and lures the person into the forest. There she feeds them shrimp to keep them docile. A person caught in this dazed state is called 'entundado.' Her disguise always has one flaw: a wooden leg shaped like a molinillo, a wooden kitchen tool used to stir hot drinks. In other tellings she appears to male loggers and hunters as a beautiful woman and tries to lure them away.

• TraditionalTold story Folk accounts say the Tunda takes the form of a loved one, such as a child's mother, to lure a victim into the forest, then keeps the person docile on a diet of shrimp. Her wooden leg, shaped like a molinillo used to stir hot drinks, is the one flaw that gives her away. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Cadejo Told story

Beast · Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica) and southern Mexico · first reported Colonial-era folklore · also called El Cadejo, White Cadejo, Black Cadejo

The cadejo is a spirit dog of the night roads of Central America and southern Mexico. It is large and shaggy, sometimes as big as a cow, with glowing eyes and goat-like hooves. Some say it drags a chain. In many places there are two of them. The white cadejo walks beside late travelers and keeps them safe. The black cadejo hunts them, and some call it the devil in dog form. In Guatemala and El Salvador the white one is said to guard drunks on the way home. In Costa Rica and Panama there is a single black cadejo, scary-looking but mostly harmless. The legend blends Maya and Nahua beliefs with Spanish words and Christian ideas.

• TraditionalTold story Folk accounts say that speaking to the cadejo or turning your back on it can drive you mad, and that a goat-like smell warns it is near. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• TraditionalTold story If a cadejo is killed, the story goes, its body smells foul for days and then simply vanishes. Source: en.wikipedia.org

El Cipitío Told story

Humanoid · San Vicente department, El Salvador · first reported Pre-Columbian roots; Salvadoran folklore · also called Cipit, Zipe (Chiapas)

El Cipitío looks like a ten-year-old boy with a big belly, an oversized cone-shaped hat, white cotton clothes and leather sandals. His feet point backward, which hides which way he is going. He is said to be able to vanish and reappear somewhere else. Salvadoran tradition places his origin in San Vicente department, and he is said to haunt mills and riverbanks. He tries to catch the attention of young women by whistling and tossing pebbles and flowers at them, and he likes to eat ashes. In one version his mother neglected him, and the rain god Tláloc cursed him to stay a ten-year-old boy forever. The name may come from a Nawat word for child. He is known as the Sombrerón or Tzitzimite in Guatemala, and he starred in Salvadoran TV series from 1990 to 1992 and again in 2005.

• TraditionalTold story Folk accounts say the Cipitío frequents mills and riverbanks, eats ashes, and whistles at or throws pebbles and flowers at girls he likes. An act of poor hygiene in front of him is said to drive him off. He starred in Salvadoran TV series from 1990 to 1992 and again in 2005. Source: en.wikipedia.org

La Siguanaba Told story

Humanoid · El Salvador (rivers and bathing places) · first reported Pre-Columbian roots; colonial folklore · also called Sihuanaba, Cegua, Sihuehuet

The Siguanaba is a shapeshifter seen as a beautiful woman, often bathing at a river or public water tank. When a man follows her and she turns around, her face is a horse's head or a human skull. If the fright does not kill the victim, it is said to drive him mad. The Salvadoran version gives her a backstory. She was Sihuehuet, a peasant girl who used a potion to win Yeisun, son of the rain god Tláloc, then plotted to poison him. The god Teotl cursed her for it. In the same cycle she is the mother of the Cipitío, who was cursed to stay a boy forever. Versions of the legend are told from Mexico to Panama, under names such as Cigua and Cegua. Making the sign of the cross at her or biting a machete is said to protect you.

• TraditionalTold story Accounts describe her luring lone men out late on dark, moonless nights, with regional versions naming womanizers and drunkards as her targets. She leads them away to lose them in deep canyons and dark forests before showing her true face, which may be a horse's head or a skull. Some tellers say there are several of her kind that work together. Source: en.wikipedia.org

El Sombrerón Told story

Humanoid · Guatemala (towns and villages across the country) · first reported Colonial-era folklore · also called Tzitzimite

El Sombrerón is a short man in a large hat from Guatemalan folklore. A Mexican round-up of Central American horror legends describes him simply as a small being who pursues women with large eyes, and lists him beside La Llorona as one of Guatemala's legends. The name also crosses borders. The Salvadoran trickster Cipitío, a boy in an oversized hat, is known in Guatemala as the Sombrerón or Tzitzimite, which shows how names and stories blend across Central America. That overlap makes it hard to pin the Sombrerón to one fixed story, and many details told about him today come from popular retellings. What the sources agree on is the outline: a small hatted stranger who fixes his attention on young women and is best avoided.

• TraditionalTold story A round-up of Central American horror legends lists the Sombrerón as a short being who pursues women with large eyes, and names him with La Llorona as one of Guatemala's signature night figures. A separate source notes that the Salvadoran Cipitío is also called Sombrerón or Tzitzimite in Guatemala. Source: diariodemexico.com

Sisimito Told story

Ape-like · Belize, Guatemala and Honduras highlands · first reported Maya and mestizo folklore · also called Sisemite, Sisimite

The Sisimito is the forest giant of Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. Folk accounts describe a big, gorilla-like creature that walks upright, with black or dark brown fur and a face that is part human, part ape. Its feet point backward, so its tracks lead the wrong way. It has no thumbs and no knees in some tellings. It is said to carry off women and to punish hunters who work on holy days or kill animals for no reason. People protect themselves with dogs, fire and water, all of which it fears. Honduran explorer Jesús Aguilar Paz recorded beliefs about its mountain home. Bigfoot researchers sometimes treat it as a Central American relative of the Sasquatch.

• TraditionalTold story One defense in the stories is to dance in a circle; the creature tries to follow and trips over its own backward feet. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 20th centuryTold story Jesús Aguilar Paz (1895-1974), a Honduran explorer and historian, documented local beliefs about where the Sisimito lives and what it eats. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Baccoo Told story

Humanoid · Guyana (also Suriname) · first reported Traditional Guyanese and Surinamese folklore · also called Bacoo, Bakru

The baccoo is a small, troublesome spirit of Guyanese lore, called bakru in Sranan Tongo, the language of Suriname. Many baccoos are said to serve a master, often a successful merchant, who feeds them on milk and bananas. In return they do dark jobs: throwing stones at a target, starting fires or carrying messages in secret. Other baccoos are not hired help at all but spirits that haunt their surroundings. One description gives the baccoo a large head and a body that is half wood and half flesh, with missing kneecaps as its best-known feature. Scholars have suggested links to West African beliefs, with some pointing to the Yoruba abiku and others to the Akan mmoatia.

• TraditionalTold story Accounts describe baccoos living on milk and bananas supplied by the people they serve. In return they throw stones at targets, start fires and carry messages discreetly from place to place. Others are free spirits that haunt their surroundings rather than serving anyone. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Didi Told story

Ape-like · Interior forests of Guyana · first reported 1553 (Cieza de León's 'maribundas') · also called Mono Grande, Maribunda

The Didi, also called Mono Grande, is said to be an ape-man of the Guyana forests. In local stories it terrorizes villages and tears out the tongues of cattle. Researchers link it to several old reports. The Spanish chronicler Pedro de Cieza de León wrote in 1553 that local people feared forest creatures they called 'maribundas.' In 1920, Swiss explorer François de Loys claimed his party was attacked by a pair of five-foot apes that walked upright, waved branches and threw their own dung. The party shot the female and photographed it. Critics in Europe said the photo showed a spider monkey with its tail hidden. In 2007, the British Centre for Fortean Zoology announced a Guyana expedition, sponsored by a videogame firm, to look for the Didi. It suggested a surviving ground sloth as a more likely answer than an unknown ape.

• 1920On the record Swiss explorer François de Loys claimed in 1920 that his party was attacked by two upright apes about five feet tall that waved branches and threw their own dung. They shot the female and photographed it. Back in Europe, critics said the photo showed a spider monkey with its tail hidden. Source: theregister.com
• 2007On the record In 2007 the British Centre for Fortean Zoology announced a Guyana expedition, backed by a videogame firm, to search for the Didi. Locals blamed the creature for tearing out cattle tongues. The team said a surviving ground sloth was more likely than an unknown ape. Source: theregister.com

Lougarou Told story

Winged · Haiti (also Dominican Republic and the Lesser Antilles) · first reported Colonial era; French 'loup-garou' roots · also called Loogaroo, Lougawou

In Haiti, a lougarou is a person, usually a woman, who is believed to change into an animal at night and drain the blood of sleeping victims. The name comes from the French loup-garou, meaning werewolf, but the Caribbean creature is closer to a witch or vampire than a wolf. In many Caribbean versions she has sold her soul to the Devil and sheds her skin to fly as a ball of fire. In the Dominican Republic, tellers say the creature can take animal or object form and cannot be hurt by bullets. The belief is closely related to the soucouyant of Trinidad and the eastern Caribbean. Stories of the lougarou are often told to children to warn them about going out at night.

• TraditionalTold story Haitian lore describes the lougawou as a human, usually a woman, who becomes an animal at night and drains blood from sleeping victims. In related versions she is a witch who has sold her soul to the Devil and sheds her skin to fly as a fireball. The tales are told to warn children about going out at night. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Guardians of Lake Yojoa Told story

Water monster · Lake Yojoa (Cortés, Comayagua and Santa Bárbara), Honduras · first reported Traditional legend · also called Sirens of Yojoa, Golden alligator of Lake Yojoa

Lake Yojoa, Honduras's largest lake at more than 79 square kilometers, has its own creature legend. In the story, enemies kidnapped two princesses, daughters of a powerful chief. A sorceress offered help and placed them inside a magic egg, and their brother, a prince, got the egg back. On the way home he dropped it. Water poured out, flooded the valley and made the lake. The princesses became sirens, and the prince became a golden alligator. The sirens are said to guard the lake's mysteries and natural riches. Locals warn that anyone who disturbs the lake may unleash the creatures' fury and bring storms or sudden disasters. The tale explains both how the lake came to be and the respect people still show it. The lake lies where Cortés, Comayagua and Santa Bárbara departments meet.

• TraditionalTold story A Honduran entertainment site retells the full legend: the kidnapped princesses, the sorceress and her magic egg, the brother who dropped it and flooded the valley, and the sirens and golden alligator that came of it. It warns that disturbing the lake could unleash their fury and bring storms. Source: tunota.com

Visiting: Lake Yojoa, the country's largest lake, lies between Cortés, Comayagua and Santa Bárbara departments.

La Sucia Told story

Humanoid · Santa Bárbara department, Honduras (rivers and streams) · first reported Traditional Honduran folklore · also called The Dirty One

La Sucia, 'the dirty one,' is a Honduran river spirit who preys on womanizing men. A Honduran news site's list of the country's classic horror legends places her origin in Santa Bárbara department. In the stories she is found at night washing clothes in rivers, lakes or streams. From behind she looks beautiful, with a long dress and flowing hair. When a man comes close, she shows a ghastly face and breath that reeks of decay. The tale is told around a young man who visited his girlfriend and, on the way home, was tempted by a mysterious woman at the water. The story works as a moral warning, aimed at men who chase other women and stay out late. Similar river-woman figures appear across Central America under other names.

• TraditionalTold story A Honduran news site's list of five classic horror legends places La Sucia's origin in Santa Bárbara. It describes a woman washing clothes in rivers, lakes or streams at night who seeks out womanizing men. A young man returning home from his girlfriend's house is tempted by her, then sees a ghastly face and smells breath like rot. Source: tunota.com

River Mumma of Flat Bridge Told story

Water monster · Flat Bridge over the Rio Cobre, Bog Walk, St Catherine, Jamaica · first reported 18th-century bridge; traditional lore · also called River Mumma, River Maid

Flat Bridge is one of the oldest bridges in Jamaica, built in the 1700s with enslaved labor across the Rio Cobre at Bog Walk, St Catherine. It has very little protection on its sides, and accidents there are frequent. A travel writer notes that the swift river has carried off every railing put up over the years. Local belief offers other culprits. Residents say duppies pull vehicles into the river, and that a River Mumma, a water spirit, lives in a bottomless hole under the bridge and destroys each new railing. River Mummas in Jamaican lore are sinister mermaids said to guard the sources of the island's rivers. Another tale tells of a golden table hidden under the water, and of 24 bulls and six enslaved people who drowned trying to haul it out. At Flat Bridge, the legend has become a way to talk about a dangerous crossing and a painful history.

• TraditionalTold story A travel writer's guide to haunted Jamaica says residents blame duppies for pulling vehicles into the river at Flat Bridge. A River Mumma is said to live in a bottomless hole beneath the bridge and to destroy the railings each time they are put up, which is why the bridge has so little protection. Source: adventuresfromelle.com

Visiting: Flat Bridge crosses the Rio Cobre at Bog Walk, St Catherine, and is still in use.

Rolling Calf Told story

Beast · Country roads and crossroads of Jamaica; Mount Carey area, St James · first reported Traditional Jamaican duppy lore · also called Rollin' Calf

The Rolling Calf is one of the most feared duppies, or ghosts, of Jamaica. A Jamaican roots site describes a large black bull or goat with blazing red eyes and steel hooves, and its first-person tale adds flames from the nostrils and chains around the neck that scrape and spark on the road. It is said to be the spirit of a wicked person, especially one who was dishonest in life. It roams country roads at night, and the tale places it on a bush shortcut near old stone ruins, said to be a slave burial ground, and at a crossroads. The grandmother's advice in that tale is simple: throw silver, curse out loud and do not look back. The Rolling Calf sits alongside the three-footed horse and Ol' Higue among the island's best-known malicious duppies.

• Personal storyTold story A Jamaican roots site shares a first-person tale, 'The Night I Ran Into the Rolling Calf,' set on a shortcut through the bush on the walk home from a cousin's wake near Mount Carey. The narrator meets a huge black bull with fire from its nostrils and sparking chains, throws a coin, shouts a curse, and the creature vanishes. Source: fiwiroots.com

Ahuízotl Told story

Water monster · Lake Texcoco, Valley of Mexico · first reported Aztec era; recorded in the 1500s · also called Ahuizotl

The ahuízotl is a water beast from Aztec tradition, described in Book 11 of the Florentine Codex. It was about the size of a small dog, with small pointed ears and slick black fur that shed water. Its paws looked like little hands, and a final hand sat at the tip of its tail. That tail hand was said to grab people at the water's edge and drag them under. Victims were found later missing their eyes, teeth and nails. The beast was said to lure fishermen by crying like a baby. It served the rain god Tlaloc, and its victims were buried with special rites. Some scholars think the water opossum, a real animal with a gripping tail, inspired the legend.

• 1500sTold story The Florentine Codex, compiled under friar Bernardino de Sahagún from Aztec informants, gives a detailed description of the ahuízotl and its habits. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1500sTold story Hernán Cortés is said to have reported to the Spanish Crown that one of his soldiers was killed by an ahuízotl. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Visiting: Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology covers Aztec religion and the lake world the legend came from.

Alux Told story

Humanoid · Yucatán Peninsula (Yucatán and Quintana Roo), Mexico · first reported Maya tradition (pre-Columbian origin suggested but unproven) · also called Aluxo'ob (plural), Chaneque (Nahua relative)

The alux is a knee-high spirit of Maya country. People describe it as a tiny person in traditional Maya dress who is usually invisible but can take on a body when it wants to talk with people or frighten them. Aluxes are tied to forests, caves, stones and fields. In the traditional story, a farmer builds a little house on his land, most often in a corn field, and an alux moves in. For seven years it helps the corn grow, calls the rain and patrols the field at night. Then the farmer must close up the house, or the spirit turns to pranks such as putting out fires and throwing pots and pans into the yard. Aluxes are also said to stop farmers or travelers and ask for an offering, and those who refuse may face havoc and illness. Some see links to older Maya art, but there is no direct proof the belief is pre-Columbian.

• Feb 25, 2023On the record On February 25, 2023, Mexico's president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, posted a photo online that he said an engineer had taken during work on the Mayan Train project. He presented it as a picture of an alux. The post brought the old Maya belief to a much wider audience. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• TraditionalTold story Folk belief holds that it is unwise to say the name of the aluxo'ob out loud, because doing so is said to call up an annoyed alux. They may also ask farmers or travelers for small offerings, and those who refuse are said to suffer havoc and sickness. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Huay Chivo Told story

Beast · Valladolid area, Yucatán, Mexico (also Campeche, Quintana Roo and Guatemala) · first reported Traditional Yucatec Maya lore · also called Chivo Brujo, Waay Chivo

The Huay Chivo is a sorcerer who is said to turn into an animal at night, most often a goat, though some tellers say a dog or a deer. The name joins the Yucatec Maya word waay, meaning sorcerer or animal spirit, with the Spanish word for goat, so it means roughly 'sorcerer-goat'. Witnesses in the stories describe a half-man, half-beast with burning red eyes. It is blamed for killing and eating livestock. The legend belongs to the Yucatán Peninsula and nearby Guatemala. Around Valladolid, locals say the creature takes goat form to make mischief and feed on farm animals. In recent decades the Huay Chivo has been mixed up with chupacabra stories, and the regional press still runs an occasional report of livestock deaths blamed on it.

• RecurringTold story According to the Wikipedia summary of regional coverage, alleged Huay Chivo activity turns up now and then in Yucatán newspapers, usually tied to dead livestock. Around Valladolid, locals say the sorcerer takes the form of a goat to raid farm animals. No single case is described in detail there. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Tlahuelpuchi Told story

Winged · State of Tlaxcala, central Mexico · first reported Nahua tradition; studied in detail in 1993

In Tlaxcala, the tlahuelpuchi is a blood-drinking witch, most often a woman, who is born with the curse and learns what she is around puberty. Local belief says she must drink blood at least once a month or she will die, and her chosen victim is an infant. To hunt, she is said to detach her body from her legs and change into a bird such as a turkey or a vulture, with a faint glow about her. Before entering a home she flies over it in the shape of a cross. Bruises on a dead infant's upper body were read as her sign. Garlic, onions and metal are said to keep her away. Families were believed to protect a tlahuelpuchi out of shame, and because whoever killed one was said to inherit the curse. The main study of the belief is the 1993 book Bloodsucking Witchcraft by anthropologists Hugo Nutini and John Roberts.

• 1993 studyOn the record Anthropologists Hugo G. Nutini and John M. Roberts published Bloodsucking Witchcraft through the University of Arizona Press in 1993. It is the main scholarly source cited for tlahuelpuchi beliefs in rural Tlaxcala, including the bruises read as the witch's mark on an infant who died suddenly. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Witch of Guadalupe (Monterrey flying humanoid) On the record

Winged · Guadalupe and Santa Catarina, Monterrey metro area, Nuevo León, Mexico · first reported January 16, 2004 · also called La Bruja de Guadalupe, Monterrey witch

Before dawn on January 16, 2004, Guadalupe police officer Leonardo Samaniego said a dark figure dropped from a tree near the Valles de la Silla neighborhood and floated slowly toward his patrol car. He described huge black eyes, a tunic and a cape. He said it lunged at the car and scratched the windshield with claws, and he crashed while trying to get away. A later article says alcohol, drugs and toxins were ruled out. Other officers told of a figure flying on a stick like a broom, and of two black-clad women with feathers and claws. The story spread as the 'witch' of Monterrey. UFO researcher Ana Luisa Cid backed the witnesses. Proposed explanations have ranged from very large birds to people in costume. Samaniego himself said he did not believe it was a witch, only something he could not explain.

• Jan 16, 2004On the record Officer Leonardo Samaniego reported a floating, black-eyed figure in a tunic and cape that came at his patrol car near Valles de la Silla in Guadalupe. He crashed the vehicle and lost consciousness from the impact. Officers Manuel Sifuentes and Gerardo Garza Carvajal are said to have reported strange figures too. Source: culturacolectiva.com
• Sep 18, 2006On the record Officer Gerardo Garza Carbajal said that on night patrol near the municipal cemetery in Santa Catarina he was pelted with stones, then saw two figures with wings and wrinkled faces that laughed in an ugly way and flew a short distance. Backup units arrived, and he said other officers saw it too. He needed medical care afterward. Source: mexfiles.net
• 2006-2008On the record Between 2006 and 2008, a local UFO club filmed a caped, human-like shape that seemed to hover over the hills of Nuevo León. Researcher Ana Luisa Cid said more than 40 people had reported sightings and argued that an imaginary object does not show up on film. Officer Samaniego called it 'something that we cannot explain.' Source: foxnews.com

La Mocuana Told story

Humanoid · Northern Nicaragua · first reported Colonial-era legend

La Mocuana is a Nicaraguan legend. She was an Indigenous princess who defied her father's wishes and showed her Spanish lover where her people's treasure was hidden. Once he had what he wanted, he shut her up in a cave. She lost her mind and became a witch-like spirit whose face cannot be seen. Tellers describe a slender figure with beautiful long black hair. She is said to appear on roads and invite travelers to follow her into the cave. Like many Central American legends, the tale mixes a colonial history of betrayal and gold with a night-road warning. She appears with El Cadejo, La Cegua and La Carreta Nahuatl among the folklore characters of Nicaragua's Los Agüizotes carnival.

• TraditionalTold story A Central American legend round-up describes La Mocuana as a native princess who went against her father and showed hidden treasure to her Spanish lover. He locked her in a cave, she lost her sanity and became a witch with an unseen face and long black hair, and she now invites travelers on the road to follow her into the cave. Source: diariodemexico.com

La Mona Bruja Told story

Beast · Pacific Nicaragua (Masaya area) · first reported Chorotega-rooted folklore · also called Monkey witch

In Nicaragua, a mona bruja is a witch who becomes a monkey at night. Tellers trace the belief to the Chorotega people of the Pacific side of the country. At midnight the witch's hands and feet are said to grow and her body to sprout monkey fur. She then climbs into the trees, shakes the branches and shrieks to scare people walking home in the dark. In these tales the mona bruja's aim is to frighten night travelers, who are said to be left speechless, rather than to kill them. Nicaragua's Masaya region keeps these figures alive in its folklore parades, where masked characters of the night walk the streets.

• TraditionalTold story A round-up of Central American legends says witches in this Chorotega-rooted tale change at midnight. Their hands and feet grow long and their bodies sprout monkey-like fur. They then shake the trees and shriek to frighten anyone walking the roads at night, scaring rather than killing them. Source: diariodemexico.com

Visiting: Masaya's 'Los Agüizotes' carnival parades Nicaragua's legend figures through the streets.

La Tulivieja Told story

Humanoid · Panama (also Costa Rica) · first reported Colonial-era folklore · also called La Tulevieja

La Tulivieja, also written Tulevieja, is a female phantom said to haunt Panama and Costa Rica. A Central American legend round-up describes her as a ghostly woman wearing a hat made of tule, shaped like a banana, with swollen breasts. She is said to transform into a monster that wanders roads and empty, unpeopled country. The same source treats the Panamanian and Costa Rican figure as one, which shows how the legend moves along the isthmus. Popular retellings add an origin story in which she was a woman punished for what happened to her child, which would tie her to the wider family of grieving-mother ghosts such as La Llorona, but that version was not confirmed on a page opened for this research. What the sources agree on is the image: a lone woman in a strange hat on a lonely road who is not what she seems.

• TraditionalTold story A Central American legend round-up describes the Tulevieja in Costa Rica and Panama as a female ghost wearing a banana-shaped tule hat, with swollen breasts, who turns into a monster that roams roads and empty places. The source treats the two countries' versions as the same figure. Source: diariodemexico.com

Panama Creature On the record

Other · Cerro Azul, near Panama City, Panama · first reported September 2009 · also called Cerro Azul creature, Panama 'Gollum'

In September 2009, a group of teenagers near Cerro Azul said a strange pale creature came out of a cave and approached them. They said they attacked it with sticks and rocks and threw the body into water, and photos of it were later sent to the Panamanian TV station Telemetro. From there the images spread around the internet. The body looked pale and hairless, and media compared it to E.T. and called it a long-lost cousin of Gollum. Guesses ranged from an alien or an unknown species to a mutation, a dolphin or a pit bull. Panama's environmental authority, ANAM, examined the remains and identified them as a male brown-throated sloth. It said the body had been in water for about two days, which caused the fur loss and bloating that made it look so strange.

• Sep 2009On the record Four or five teenagers aged about 14 to 16 said the creature came out of a cave near Cerro Azul and approached them. They attacked it with sticks and rocks and threw the body into water. Photographs were sent to Telemetro and spread widely online. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• Sep 2009On the record A necropsy by Panama's environmental authority, ANAM, identified the body as a male brown-throated sloth that had been in water about two days, which explained the missing fur and bloating. Science writer Darren Naish backed the sloth explanation. Mongabay also reported that most observers thought it was a sloth. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Luisón Told story

Beast · Rural Paraguay (also Santiago del Estero, Argentina) · first reported Colonial blend of Guaraní and European lore · also called Lobisón, Luison

The luisón is the werewolf of Paraguay, one of the seven monster children of Tau and Kerana in Guaraní myth. He is described as a huge and very ugly dog. The belief holds that the seventh son in a row in a family will turn into a luisón, and in many versions he changes at age thirteen. The legend blended with European werewolf tales after colonization. It is found where the maned wolf lives, a long-legged South American canid with a shambling walk, and some researchers think that animal fed the image. To protect seventh sons from this superstition, Argentina began a custom of the president acting as godfather to seventh sons, formalized in 1973.

• 1907 / 1973On the record Argentina held its first official presidential godfather baptism for a seventh son in 1907. Perón's government made it formal by Decree 848 in 1973, adding scholarships, partly to protect such children from superstition. Lawmakers have since tried to repeal it as outdated. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Pombero Told story

Humanoid · Rural Paraguay (also Misiones, Argentina, and southern Brazil) · first reported Guaraní tradition · also called Karai Pyhare, Pyrague, Señor de la noche

The pombero is a small night spirit of Guaraní country. In Guaraní he is called Karai Pyhare, 'man of the night.' He is short, ugly and hairy, with short arms. His furry feet let him move without a sound, which is why he is also called Pyrague, 'hairy feet.' He can mimic forest sounds, especially bird calls, and is said to become invisible or slip through tiny gaps. On farms he is blamed for stolen eggs and honey, scattered crops and spooked animals. He protects birds from boys with slingshots. Many rural families leave out cigars, rum or honey to keep him friendly, and a well-treated pombero is said to become a protector. In 2007 the TV show Destination Truth went looking for him.

• 2007On the record In 2007 the Sci-Fi channel series Destination Truth went to Paraguay to look for the pombero. In rural tradition, farmers who leave him cigars, rum or honey are said to win his friendship, while those who insult him find their eggs stolen and their animals frightened. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Teju Jagua Told story

Beast · Caves and hills of Paraguay; treasure lore tied to Itapé, Guairá · first reported Guaraní myth · also called Tejú Jaguá

Teju Jagua is the first of the seven monster sons of Tau and Kerana in Guaraní myth. He is pictured as a huge lizard with seven dog heads, or in some versions one giant dog head, and eyes that shoot fire. In spite of his looks, he is calm and harmless. The god Tupã is said to have softened his temper. His seven heads make it hard for him to move. He is lord of the caves and guardian of fruit and hidden treasure. His hide shines because he rolls in gold and precious stones, and tradition links that treasure to Itapé. He eats fruit, and honey brought by his brother Jasy Jatere is his favorite. He is one of the seven legendary monsters of Guaraní myth.

• MythTold story Guaraní tradition calls Teju Jagua the lord of the caves and the guardian of fruit and buried treasure. His hide shines because he rolls in gold and gems at Itapé. His brother Jasy Jatere is said to bring him honey, his favorite food. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Chullachaqui Told story

Humanoid · Peruvian Amazon (Loreto; also Brazilian Amazon) · first reported Traditional Amazonian lore · also called Chullachaki

The chullachaqui is a forest spirit of the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon. Its name comes from Quechua words meaning 'odd foot,' because its feet do not match. One leg is shorter, and one foot is larger, turned backward or shaped like a hoof. It can take the shape of a relative, a friend or an animal, and it uses that disguise to lead people deep into the jungle until they are lost. The only way to know it is by its feet. It guards the forest and its animals and punishes a man who breaks a taboo. Some stories say it challenges hunters to fight, curses those who refuse with an inability to hunt, steals children, and keeps hidden gardens in the jungle.

• TraditionalTold story Tellers say the chullachaqui takes the shape of a family member or long-missed loved one and leads a person deep into the forest until they cannot find their way back. The only sign is the mismatched feet. Hunters who decline its challenge to fight are said to be cursed with the inability to hunt, and children may be taken to be raised as its own. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Pishtaco On the record

Humanoid · Andes of Peru; Huánuco case in 2009 · first reported Colonial era (16th century roots) · also called Ñakaq, Kharisiri (Bolivia)

The pishtaco is a fat-stealer of Andean folklore, often pictured as a white stranger with a long knife who kills travelers or drains them of body fat. The belief goes back to the Spanish conquest, when Spaniards were said to treat their wounds with their enemies' fat and to grease guns and cannons with it. Over the centuries the pishtaco changed to fit the times: friars tied to bell-making, a figure oiling machinery, and in the 1980s officials with government ID cards said to collect fat for a medicine sold to pay the foreign debt. In November 2009, Peruvian police alleged that a gang in Huánuco had killed as many as 60 people and sold their fat toward Europe. The claim made world headlines but was quickly debunked; authorities in Huánuco knew nothing of such murders. It shows how the legend still shapes real-world rumors.

• 2009On the record In November 2009 Peru's National Police alleged that gangsters had murdered as many as 60 people for their fat and sold it to middlemen in Lima, who passed it to laboratories in Europe. The story drew on the pishtaco legend and made world news, but it was quickly debunked: officials in Huánuco knew nothing about the supposed killings. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1983Told story Around 1983 in Huacho, pishtaco imagery was attached to the Villasol road-building company. During the 1980s economic crisis, rumors said ñakaqs carrying government ID cards were collecting human fat for a medicine whose sales would pay the foreign debt, showing how the legend latches onto outsiders. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Yacumama Told story

Water monster · Rivers and lakes of the Peruvian Amazon (Loreto) · first reported Traditional Amazonian lore · also called Mother of the Water

The yacumama, Quechua for 'mother of water,' is a giant serpent of Amazon lore. It is considered the mother of all water creatures and is said to suck up any living thing that passes within a hundred steps of it. A magazine round-up adds that it is horned, sometimes said to be up to 160 feet long, and that it fills itself with water to spray and stun its prey. Indigenous river people would blow a conch horn before entering the water, believing that if the yacumama was near, it would reveal itself. The same round-up notes that real anacondas in the Amazon have been described at up to 62 feet long, which may feed some of the bigger claims.

• TraditionalTold story Local practice was to blow a conch horn before entering a lake or river, so that the yacumama, if it was there, would reveal itself. It was described as the mother of all water creatures, able to suck in any living thing within about a hundred paces. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• Popular claimsTold story A magazine round-up says the serpent is horned, sometimes up to 160 feet long, and fills itself with water to spray and stun prey. It notes that real anacondas in the Amazon have been described at up to 62 feet, which may help explain the size of the legend. Source: mentalfloss.com

Chupacabra Told story

Beast · Canóvanas, Puerto Rico, and across Latin America

The 'goat-sucker' first made headlines in Puerto Rico in the mid-1990s and spread through Mexico, Central and South America and the US Southwest. The main Chupacabra dossier has the full story.

Full story: Chupacabra →

Azeman Told story

Winged · Suriname · first reported Recorded by 1936 · also called Asema, Azemã

The azeman is Suriname's vampire woman. In the lore recorded by Melville and Frances Herskovits in their 1936 book Suriname Folk-lore, azemans are women who shed their skins at night, change into animal form, and drink human blood. The Herskovitses called the azeman the gravest supernatural threat of all, particularly to children. The defenses are practical. Families scattered rice, sesame or red pepper in the room near the door of the sleeping place, or leaned a broom against the door. The belief was that a vampire cannot leave until she has picked up every grain or counted every straw. The azeman belongs to a wider family of skin-shedding night hags told of across the Caribbean, such as the soucouyant of Trinidad.

• 1936On the record The Herskovitses recorded in 1936 that azemans are women who shed their skins at night, take animal form and drink human blood, with children most at risk. Families scattered rice, sesame or red pepper near the door, or set a broom against it, because the vampire could not leave until she had picked up every grain or counted every straw. Source: dbnl.org

Bakru Told story

Humanoid · Suriname (coastal communities) · first reported Recorded by 1936 · also called Baccoo

In Surinamese belief, a bakru is a little being fashioned by a sorcerer. Folklorists Melville and Frances Herskovits recorded in their 1936 book Suriname Folk-lore that it was thought to be brought to life by putting the soul of a dead person into it. People said a bakru usually shows itself as a child of two or three. A sorcerer can also place the spirit in any object or living thing, most often a fowl. Any strange fowl found in a yard could be taken for a bakru. If it turned up where a pregnant woman lived, it was understood to be on a deadly errand to her or her unborn child. Women wore charms and talismans during pregnancy for protection. The bakru shares its name and family with the baccoo of Guyana.

• 1936On the record Melville and Frances Herskovits's 1936 book Suriname Folk-lore describes bakrus as little people made by sorcerers and animated with a dead person's soul, often appearing as children of two or three. A strange fowl in the yard of a pregnant woman was read as a bakru on a fatal errand to her or her unborn child. Source: dbnl.org

Lagahoo Told story

Beast · Trinidad and Tobago · first reported Traditional Trinbagonian folklore · also called Ligahoo, Loup-garou

The lagahoo, also spelled ligahoo, is Trinidad and Tobago's shapeshifter, a cousin of the European werewolf. By day he passes as an ordinary man. At night, tellers say, he becomes a headless figure with a wooden coffin on his neck, three lit candles on top, and an iron chain dragging behind. He can also take the shape of a horse, pig or goat, and grow from tiny to gigantic. One limb is said to be turned backward. He is blamed for sucking the blood of livestock. To beat him, you must strike him with a stick soaked in holy water and holy oil for nine days in a row. The lagahoo has inspired poems, novels and children's books.

• 2004On the record In 2004 poet James Christopher Aboud published Lagahoo Poems, portraying the creature as an ageless, restless wanderer. The lagahoo also appears in Tracey Baptiste's 2015 children's novel The Jumbies and in novels by Wayne Gerard Trotman and Francis Escayg, one of which shows it as a misunderstood figure. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Papa Bois Told story

Humanoid · Forests of Trinidad (also St Lucia, Dominica and Grenada) · first reported Traditional folklore · also called Maître Bois, Old Father of the Forest

Papa Bois, often called the keeper of the forest, is the protector of the woods in Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Dominica and Grenada. He is pictured as a short, old man with cloven hooves, a beard of leaves, a body covered in hair like a donkey's, and small horns on his forehead. Despite his age he has strong muscles and can outrun a deer. He carries a hollowed-out bull's horn that he blows to warn animals that hunters are coming. He can change his shape, and is said to turn into a deer and lure hunters deep into the forest until they are lost. Tellers say the safe move is to greet him politely, 'Bon jour, vieux Papa,' and never stare at his hooves. He is married to Mama Dlo, the river mother. Papa Bois is less a monster than a guardian of the forest and its animals.

• TraditionalTold story Anyone who meets Papa Bois is told to be polite, greet him with 'Bon jour, vieux Papa,' and never stare at his hooves. Hunters, the stories say, may meet him in the shape of a deer that leads them deeper and deeper into the forest until they cannot find their way out. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Soucouyant Told story

Winged · Trinidad (also Guyana, Suriname, St Lucia, Dominica, Haiti) · first reported Colonial-era Caribbean lore · also called Ole Higue (Guyana), Soukougnan

The soucouyant is a blood-drinking hag of Caribbean folklore, best known in Trinidad. By day she seems to be a reclusive old woman. At night she is said to strip off her wrinkled skin, put it in a mortar, and fly across the sky as a ball of fire. She slips into houses through any opening, even cracks and keyholes, and drinks the blood of sleepers, leaving black-and-blue marks. Folk remedies are practical. Heap rice around the house, and she is bound to stop and gather every grain. Put coarse salt in the mortar with her skin, and she cannot put it back on and perishes. Scholars trace the figure to French vampire tales mixed with the beliefs of enslaved Africans, and compare the related Bahamian hag to the Yoruba aje.

• TraditionalTold story Tellers say a soucouyant trades her victims' blood for dark powers with Bazil, a demon who lives in the silk cotton tree. If she drinks too much, the victim dies and may become a soucouyant too, or she may take the victim's skin for her own. Source: en.wikipedia.org
• 1904On the record A 1904 collection of Bahamian folklore described a similar skin-shedding 'hag.' In 1894, writer Alfred Burdon Ellis had already drawn a parallel between such night attacks and the Yoruba figure Shigidi, an early sign of the African links scholars still discuss. The figure is told across many islands under different names. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Lobizón of Uruguay Told story

Beast · Uruguayan countryside; Salto department (2021 maned-wolf sighting) · first reported Rural folklore; Quiroga short story (date unconfirmed) · also called Lobisón, Aguará guazú legend

Across the countryside of Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil, the lobizón is the seventh son who turns into a beast on full-moon nights. He is described as a sturdy, very hairy dog with big ears and fiery eyes, roaming fields and cemeteries. He is said to pass between people's legs to frighten them and turn them into lobizones. He goes back to human form at sunrise. Uruguayan writer Horacio Quiroga wrote a short story, 'El lobisón,' about a farmhand in Uruguay said to be one. Folklore links the legend to the maned wolf, called aguará guazú. That animal had long been thought gone from Uruguay. In August 2021 a worker at a salt company filmed one in Salto department, the first verified sighting there. Scientists then planned camera traps to learn more.

• Aug 30, 2021On the record On August 30, 2021, a company worker in Salto department filmed a maned wolf, the first confirmed record in Uruguay after unconfirmed photos and a 1990 report. Press coverage noted that folklore ties this animal, the aguará guazú, to the lobizón legend. Source: ellitoral.com
• TraditionalTold story The legend says a seventh son becomes the lobizón on full-moon nights. He roams fields and cemeteries looking for food and tries to pass between people's legs to frighten them. He returns to human form at sunrise. Families once dreaded having seven sons. Source: billiken.lat

El Silbón Told story

Humanoid · Venezuelan Llanos, especially Guanarito, Portuguesa (also Colombian Llanos) · first reported Mid-19th century · also called The Whistler

El Silbón, 'the Whistler,' is a lost soul of the plains of Venezuela and eastern Colombia. He is said to appear as a towering figure in the treetops or as a tall, thin shadow in a hat, carrying a sack of his father's bones. In the origin story, a spoiled young man killed his father over a failed deer hunt. His grandfather had him whipped, rubbed his wounds with harsh chili, cursed him to carry the bones forever, and set dogs on him. The legend is tied to Portuguesa state and Guanarito. The rule everyone knows is backwards: if his whistle sounds close, you are safe, but if it sounds far away, he is near you. Dogs, chili and whips are said to drive him off.

• TraditionalTold story Llanero belief holds that the Silbón seeks out drunks and womanizers, and that hearing his whistle can foretell a death. The best-known rule is the reverse one: a whistle that sounds close means he is far off, while a faint, distant whistle means he is right beside you. Source: en.wikipedia.org

La Sayona Told story

Humanoid · Venezuelan Llanos (plains) · first reported Traditional Venezuelan folklore

La Sayona is a vengeful spirit of the Venezuelan plains who appears only to men who cheat on their partners. In the original tale, Casilda was the most beautiful young woman in a small plains town. A villager told her that her husband was having an affair with her own mother, though the story leaves it unclear whether he was telling the truth. In a rage she burned the house with her husband and child inside, then attacked her mother with a machete. The dying mother cursed her to take revenge on unfaithful men forever. Today she is described in a long white dress, lovely at first, until a man tries to see her face and finds a skull with horrible teeth. In other versions she appears to men working in the jungle, taking the likeness of a beautiful woman or a loved one to lure them away.

• TraditionalTold story One version says she visits men working in the jungle, taking the likeness of a beautiful woman or a loved one to lead them away. Then she shows her inhuman face. In these tellings her victims are devoured or left badly mangled. Source: en.wikipedia.org