Text:
“As kids, we heard legends of La Llorona. Her story goes like this: La Llorona was a beautiful woman named Maria who lived in a small village in Mexico. She fell in love with a wealthy man and had two children with him. But after some time had passed, her husband left her for a much younger woman. Maria was so heartbroken and upset that she drowned her children in a river to get back to her ex. After realizing what she had done, she was so sad and overwhelmed with guilt, she cried along the river, ‘Ay, mis hijos!’ She then drowned herself. Now it says she wanders near rivers and lakes, searching for her children here. If you hear her crying at night, it’s a bad omen. My mom told me this story so that I could listen and be obedient and never cheat on any of my partners.”
Context:
The informant grew up in Mexico. His mother told him this legend to be obedient and loyal and to also scare him from rivers and lakes so he wouldn’t wander and accidentally fall in. He lived along a river, and his mother was also afraid of him drowning in the river since many people in that town have died like that.
Analysis: The legend is a moral ghost story where the supernatural and narratives blend and become a lesson for the living. In this version, La Llorona is a cautionary figure; it’s a sense of warning children to stay away from rivers but also a moral lesson about fidelity and the consequences of betrayal. It adds a layer of local specificity by my informant letting me know that “many people in that town have died like that,” which grounds the legend in real-life experiences.