This piece folklore was gathered at the San Fransisco trauma recovery center. I met with a group of social workers and over the course of one hour we all got came together in a meeting room and in one big group we decided to go around the table and each discuss folklore from their lives. At the beginning of the discussion I gave a brief description about what folklore could be. After that everyone shared pieces of folklore from their lives.

“This is a legend back in Mexico that this mom, she had children. I don’t recall how many but she drowned them, she drowned her children in a river and now the conscience of that or her penalty for that is she must you know every day and every night… She just walks around everywhere crying and crying “my children, my children,” and in Mexico they threaten kids or they worn kids that if you don’t behave La Llorona is gonna come get you. So if you don’t go to sleep or you don’t finish your food or whatever La Lorna will come get you.”

Background information about the performance from the informant:” I remember when I was a child. I think I was around, I would say maybe 5 or 6 that my parent told me this legend that I learned about it. You kind of learn how to behave. Like ok so if you don’t behave or if you don’t do this La Llorona is gonna come and get you or scare you.”

This piece is particularly interesting because it reveals how pervasive the La Llorona myth is. I had three different vacations on that story given to me in my brief time collecting folklore. They were all surprisingly consistent. I think this shows that the La Llorona myth is very prevalent both in Mexico and in California.