Legend of Saltillo, Coahuila: The image of Christ that came by mule

THE IMAGE OF CHRIST THAT CAME BY MULE

(Legend of Saltillo, Coahuila)

There are some religious figures that are very highly venerated, due to the long centuries of preceding history surrounding them. In many cases, there is a long line of miracles associated with them, and these, over the years, have become legends. Such is the case of the image of Our Lord (The Holy Christ) at The Chapel, Saltillo. The events related here took place on August 6, 1607, according to some written testimonies of the time.

Legend has it that in the afternoon of that far-off day, a mule, bearing a heavy load on its back, suddenly arrived in town. The mule was quite alone, without a carrier, and it settled down to rest at a place not far from the church of Saint Esteban, exactly where the present-day Cathedral is located. Those who saw it arrive assumed that its owner would no doubt turn up a little later; but the rest of that day came and went, and, by the next morning, the mule was still resting, quietly and alone, at exactly the same spot.

Some people started to try to get the mule to move on; but try as they might, the animal stoutly refused to move. Then, the rumor started to spread throughout the village and, in just a few minutes, the entire population had gathered around the beast. No one had ever seen it before, and, therefore, they had no idea who its owner might be.

While they were deeply engaged in discussion about this phenomenon, the local priest appeared. After meditating a little on the situation, he finally ordered some of the men to unload the box from the beast's back and to open it up, so they could find out what was inside. When the men had finished their task, the mule got up and ran away towards the South at top speed; it was never seen again and nobody ever found out where it had gone to.

When the villagers opened the box, they realized, to their utmost astonishment, that there, inside, was a beautiful image of Jesus Christ, apparently made of dried corn dough. At his feet, there was a small wooden box that contained a single splinter of wood. Because it was the rainy season, they tried to take the figure out of the box, intending to keep it safe in the temple of Saint Esteban, all the time expecting that, sooner or later, its unknown owner would appear to claim the statue.

However, not even the repeated efforts of several strong men, all hauling together, were enough to lift the image out of the box to take it inside the temple. After some serious thought, the priest ordered that a small shelter be built then and there, on that very spot; this was later replaced by a church – the future Saltillo Cathedral. Time passed by, and nobody ever came to claim the image as his own; the local people, however, took it to be a divine manifestation.

There was one other factor that conduced devotees to worship the image with so much fervor: the numerous miracles attributed to it by the sick and needy who make their pilgrimages to the figure, to beg for its aid. It is said that part of its divine and healing power comes from the wooden splinter inside the small wooden box, because, according to local beliefs, it was taken from the Holy Cross on the very day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Legend taken from the book by Homero Adame, “Myths and legends from all over Mexico” (Mitos y leyendas de todo México). Editorial Trillas. 2011. Translated by Pat Grounds.

The image of Christ was taken from La Casa del Arce Rojo web site.

Mexican myths and legends: John the Bear

JOHN THE BEAR

(Mexican folk story from the Eastern Sierra Madre)

One day, when we were at Don Evaristo’s ranch, we all rode up to the hills on horseback to look for some missing cattle. We spent a whole night in the woods. It was the perfect place to listen to stories, sitting under a starlit sky, eating wild rabbit, roasted slowly over our campfire...

Suddenly, we heard a strange noise. Emily and I immediately reacted and jumped to our feet, but Don Evaristo and the cowboys didn’t seem to pay any attention to the sounds. “I guess it’s a bear,” one of the cowboys commented, quite calmly.

“Yes, it’s a bear,” Don Evaristo replied, “and it’s a pretty big one.”

Emily and I felt really nervous. We have heard hundreds of terrifying stories about dangerous bears and innocent tourists. But Don Evaristo calmed us down, saying the bear would never come near the fire. Sure enough, almost immediately we heard the bear going off into the forest, probably more afraid than we were! Our host was thoughtful for a moment. Then his eyes shone as he remembered a new tale to tell.

“Ah, thank you for reminding me, Brother Bear,” he laughed. “It is time to tell the tale of John the Bear, or Juan Oso. It’s one of the most common tales from the Mexican mountains, and it seems that it came to these lands with the Spanish conquest, for the same story is also told in Spain and other parts of Europe. Homero Adame's legends.

“Not long ago, there was a rumor that a very big bear was wandering around near a small country town by the foothills somewhere in the State of Nuevo Leon. Very few people saw it. Those who did thought it was very strange, because it was not a time of famine, the rains had been good, and there was plenty of food for all the wild animals up in the mountains. ‘What is the bear doing around here?’ they wondered. Of course, they were a little scared at first. But as the days went by, and the bear showed no form of aggression, they gradually lost interest in it, and went about their business as usual.

“One afternoon, however, a rumor that a young girl was missing immediately created a state of alert. ‘Who has kidnapped the girl?’ ‘Where have they taken her?’ ‘Has anyone asked for any money?’ Nobody could give an answer. Finally, the girl’s little brothers, crying desperately, managed to explain: ‘A big bear came and took our sister off to the mountains!’ They cried. Someone saw her going down to the river to do the washing. The boys saw the bear. Later on, when the men searched along the river bank, sure enough, they found the double footprints of a bear and a girl, and a solitary basket full of dirty clothes, still waiting for someone to wash them... The children were telling the truth, it seemed.

“An angry crowd of people noisily followed the footprints well into the mountains, but they found nothing. Not a trace! The trails became hard to follow, and after a couple of river crossings, they finally lost track of the footprints completely. Homero Adame's legends.

“Time passed, and after about three years, the sad event became just a vague memory for most of the village. Just imagine everyone’s surprise when one afternoon, a pretty, young woman appeared in town with a baby in her arms. Of course, it was the same girl, a little older and perhaps wiser, too. The neighbors hurried round to hear her story. She said the great bear captured her and took her to his cave, far off in the mountains. He took very good care of her and fed her well. Although he was very kind to her, she was always afraid of him. What she really hated, was being his prisoner, a helpless captive in the dark, smoky cave. Early in the mornings, the bear used to go out hunting, but whenever he left, he always closed the cave entrance with a very large, heavy rock. There was no escape.

“A few months later, the bear and the girl had a healthy baby boy. The girl loved the baby more each day. But then, so did the bear. One fine day, when the bear went off to hunt, for some reason he forgot to block the entrance to the cave. Maybe he trusted his young ‘wife’ at last. Nevertheless, she seized the opportunity at once and escaped back to her town, taking her darling little baby with her, of course.

“It seemed like a real happy ending. The big bear was never seen in the area again, though some hunters said they often heard a bear crying alone in the mountains at night. The baby grew tall and strong, though a little more hairy than the other village boys. No one knows why, but one day, many years later, when he was a man, Juan Oso disappeared. People say he decided to go back to his real home, high up in the mountains. But nobody can tell if he ever found his loving father — the great bear — still crying for his wife and son in his dark and smoky cave... Folk tale found in Homero Adame's blog.

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Written by Homero Adame and translated by Pat Grounds. Originally published in the English textbook Orbit 3. By Homero Adame, Pat Grounds and Carol Lethaby. Ediciones Castillo, S.A. de C.V. Monterrey, Mexico. 2000. Pp. 67-68.

If you're looking for bilingual folk stories, here's a book written by Homero Adame and translated by Dr. Patricia Grounds:

Historias y leyendas de San Miguel de Allende / 

Stories and Legends of San Miguel de Allende

https://www.amazon.com/dp/607297287X

If you wish to read more Mexican folk stories, follow any of these links:

Mexican legends in English

and

Myths and legends from Mexico

Myths and legends from Michoacan: The Beautiful Lady of the Zacapu Lagoon

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THE BEAUTIFUL LADY OF THE LAGOON

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(Folk story from Zacapu, Michoacan)

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This story comes from Zacapu, Michoacan. The tale is important because it comes from Prehispanic times and it says that the lagoon of Zacapu, once large and glorious, was long ago witness to a dramatic romance. It is said that during the reign of Purembe, there lived a young lady, as beautiful as the morning dew, as bright and pure as the moon, and very much in love with a prince from another Purepecha tribe. The prince would visit the lady at the lakeside every afternoon, and they spent some very happy moments there, always waiting to watch the glorious red sunsets together.

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But it seems that happiness cannot last forever, and one sad day, the prince had to go away on official duty. The weeks turned into months, and the Lady of Zacapu received no news from her beloved. Disobeying her mother’s advice, the brave girl impulsively decided to go and look for the prince. She first went to the lagoon, kissed the Uringuarapexo pyramid goodbye, and then took a canoe and sailed away across the water. But her fate, or maybe her lack of experience in the art of canoeing, led to a tragic accident, and the beautiful young woman drowned; the waters of the lagoon closed over her sweet body forever.

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When the young prince finally heard of his dearest love’s demise, he never came back to Zacapu again. He could not bear the pain of going there, now his beloved was dead. Homero Adame's legends.

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But this is not quite the end of the story. Legend has it that even today, the spirit of the Lady of the Lagoon still appears at midnight, ever looking for her prince. She emerges from the lake and walks through the streets, all the way to the town centre. Whenever she sees a young man, she asks him to follow her to the lagoon. But the old people say that those who follow her never return. And the young women are afraid she may steal their sweethearts, too.

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Legend taken from the English textbook Activate! 2, by Carol Lethaby, Homero Adame, and Pat Grounds. Ediciones Castillo. Monterrey, Mexico, 2003. P.166.

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Would you like to read more Mexican folk stories? Check out this other blog: Mexican Folk Literature

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Myths and Legends from the State of San Luis Potosi: Don Pantaleon – A ‘Diablero’

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DON PANTALEON – A ‘DIABLERO’

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(Folk story from El Sabino, in Santo Domingo, S.L.P.)

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Here in El Sabino, there was once a man named Pantaleon, who brought the skeleton of a dead bull back to life. This is a true story, I tell you, because I saw it all with my own eyes!

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Don Pantaleon was well-known for his amazing tricks. One day, just for fun, looking at a dried-up, white heap of bones, he said, “Look, guys, I’m going to fight that old, dead bull!” Who knows what magic spells he uttered, or what magic dust he threw up into the air, but sure enough, the skeleton slowly stood up. Then, little by little, new red flesh began to cover the white bones and strong black hair began to grow over the flesh, and very soon the bull began to snort and to prance and dance about again! And don Pantaleon, true to his word, grabbed a red blanket and began to fight the bull!

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We sometimes think that in the old days, people were much poorer and more ignorant than nowadays, but the truth is, they also had a lot of knowledge of things that have now been long forgotten. Don Pantaleon was, in fact, a ‘diablero’ and he knew how to do real magic.

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People in the past were more aware of the supernatural; they could speak with the spirits. They learned all these things from the Indians that lived in these lands long before the Spanish conquerors arrived. The Huachichiles, Caxcanes, and Coyoteros used to observe all natural phenomena with great attention, and experimented with many hidden arts. Folk story found in Homero Adame's blog.

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Much of this knowledge is now lost forever. For example, people say that the ‘diableros’ – a type of sorcerer or wizard, like don Pantaleon – even knew how to speak to all the spirits of nature, and how to make rain! But all of this has become just one more part of our great history…

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Written by Homero Adame and translated by Pat Grounds. Originally published in the English textbook Activate! 2. By Carol Lethaby, Homero Adame, and Pat Grounds. Ediciones Castillo, S.A. de C.V. Monterrey, Mexico. 2003. Pp. 180-181.

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The original version of this story, in Spanish, was published in the book Mitos y leyendas del Altiplano. Secretaría de Cultura del Estado y PACMyC. 2004..
If you wish to read more Mexican folk stories, just follow this link:

Mexican myths and legends

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Myths and legends from the State of Colima: The Ghost Train

THE GHOST TRAIN

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(Folk story from Manzanillo, Colima)

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We were all having a festive dinner at don Evaristo’s ranch, because the next day we planned to leave. It was already time for Easter vacations and Emily and I wanted to go to the Copper Canyon, in Chihuahua. So there we all were, chatting pleasantly to doña Almanda and don Evaristo about our vacation plans.

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“Ah! So you’re going by train!” said don Evaristo, enthusiastically. “Hardly anybody travels by train in Mexico nowadays.”

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“Why is that?” Emily asked.

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“Well, times have changed,” don Evaristo replied. “Now people prefer to drive to places, to take a bus or even to fly. The passenger train is just about history now. But it so happens that I know a very nice folk story about a train,” he said. Written by Homero Adame.

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“This story is common in many parts of the country. It’s even told in areas where there never was a railway, like in the municipality of Arista, in the state of San Luis Potosi,” don Evaristo began. “What’s more, this type of train story is by no means unique to Mexico, since the ‘ghost train’ is a neo-motif in the whole world; that is to say, a new motif in universal mythology. Trains were only invented early in the 19th century, you see, and only a few years later, people started telling tales that involved trains in different countries.

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“Now, coming back specifically to Mexico, these ‘train tales’ are generally related to the days during and after the Revolution, when many trains were robbed and derailed. One good example took place in Linares, Nuevo Leon, when the train going to Monterrey, from Tampico, was really robbed in an isolated part of the state. Many different folk stories were born from that one event.

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“Anyway, the story I’m about to tell you apparently occurred between Guadalajara and Manzanillo, in the state of Colima. And it’s not about a robbery. At least, I don’t think so.

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“Legend has it that one night, the train to Manzanillo left Guadalajara exactly on time. All the station staff and telegraph officers saw it depart. The train was not very full that night, but it was expected to stop in a number of places, including Ciudad Guzman, in Jalisco, and Colima City, before reaching its final destination. The telegraph officer in Guadalajara wired his colleagues with a smile, informing them that, for the first time in many moons, the train had actually left on time that evening!

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“Early the next morning, the train full of passengers arrived, equally punctually, in the Port of Manzanillo. All the passengers got off the train, and at first sight, everything seemed quite normal. Except for one small detail: the train didn’t stop at a single station on the way. Not only that, nobody, but nobody at all saw the train at any point on its route!

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“It was a complete mystery. Not one telegraph officer or station employee in places like Sayula, and Ciudad Guzman in Jalisco; or in Colima and Armeria, in Colima, saw the train that night. It didn’t make any of its scheduled, obligatory stops. On every platform, a stationmaster waited, assuming that the train had been delayed, even though they knew from the Guadalajara telegraph office that it had started its itinerary on time.

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“But that is not all. Legend has it that the train left Guadalajara half empty, but when it arrived in Manzanillo, it was packed full of passengers! Where did all those passengers come from, if the train did not stop anywhere on the way? Written by Homero Adame.

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“Well, the obvious thing to do was to ask the passengers, right? So, after a day or two, when speculation was at its highest point, a newspaper reporter interviewed some of the passengers. To his great confusion, everyone he spoke to said they could not remember a thing about the journey! They couldn’t even remember getting on the train, and certainly nothing about the trip! It had been so peaceful, people said, that they had slept all the way. They only knew that they were going to Manzanillo and to Manzanillo they arrived, right on time.” Written by Homero Adame.

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“That’s a really strange story, don Evaristo,” said Emily. “But all the same, I hope that our ride to the Copper Canyon is not on a ‘ghost train’!” And we all laughed merrily in the candlelight... Folk story found in Homero Adame's blog.at:http://leyendas-de-mexico.blogspot.com/2008/02/myths-and-legends-from-state-of-colima.html

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Written by Homero Adame and translated by Pat Grounds. Originally published in the English textbook Orbit 3. By Homero Adame, Pat Grounds and Carol Lethaby. Ediciones Castillo, S.A. de C.V. Monterrey, Mexico. 2000. Pp. 85-86.

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If you wish to read more Mexican folk stories, follow this link: Leyendas mexicanas en inglés

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In Amazon there are several books by Homero Adame on mythology and Mexican folk stories:

Biblioteca Homero Adame : mitos y leyendas mexicanas

If you're looking for bilingual folk stories, here's a book written by Homero Adame and translated by Dr. Patricia Grounds:

Historias y leyendas de San Miguel de Allende / 

Stories and Legends of San Miguel de Allende

https://www.amazon.com/dp/607297287X

Myths and legends from Tamaulipas: The Deer

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THE DEER

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(Folk story from San Carlos Mountains, in Tamaulipas)

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One afternoon, Emily and I went off horseback riding near the ranch while Don Evaristo was dealing with some other visitors. Suddenly, without warning, we were surprised by a magnificent deer, standing right in the middle of the path in front of us! We stopped in our tracks, and he didn’t move a muscle! Slowly and deliberately, we moved our horses closer and closer to the deer, but apparently neither the horses nor the deer felt at all nervous. Our animals were almost touching noses with the deer, when it finally reacted, and trotted off into the bushes. Emily even managed to get some photos!

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Later that evening, during supper, we told don Evaristo about our encounter with such a magnificent animal. He was all ears. At the end of our tale, doña Almanda said: “I bet it was El Viejo.”

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“El Viejo? Who’s that?” we asked.

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“Oh, it’s a very old deer that’s been around for many years. We see him from time to time, and he’s never afraid of anyone.” She answered. “Evaristo, tell them the story about the magical deer. Remember?” She suggested to her husband.

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“Yes, of course. It’s a very nice story, and we always like to make a connection between this tale and our dear viejo, here on the ranch! You will remember that in universal mythology the deer is an extremely beneficent animal, by all accounts.

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“Now, in the woods and mountains all over Mexico and Central America, you can hear similar stories about a poor hunter who makes the spirit of the woods angry, because he has shot and wounded too many animals. Of course, the story varies, according to the area or the type of landscape, and in many cases the spirit locks the hunter in a cave and won’t let him out until he has cured all the poor animals. I’ve heard this story in the mountains of Puebla and Oaxaca, but this version comes from the Sierra de San Carlos, in the state of Tamaulipas.” Don Evaristo explained.

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“Not so many moons ago, there was a young man who used to go hunting every single afternoon. There was never a day when he didn’t return home with a rabbit, an ocelot, a coyote, a boar or something that used to run on four legs in the forest. He would shoot any animal that crossed his path in the woods. Much more than he could ever eat. But his favorite game of all was the deer. He was a good hunter, but, one day, the hunter himself became the prey!

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“This is what happened: one afternoon, the weather was too bad to go out hunting. Early the next morning, however, he took his rifle and set off for the mountains, where he found a trail that led him deep into a canyon. He crossed the river several times. Always alert -- like the good hunter he was --, he suddenly heard something moving close at hand, and then he saw it. It was the biggest deer he had ever seen in his life!

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“Very quietly and carefully he lifted his rifle and... bang! He shot at the deer. But the deer did not fall to the ground. By no means! Instead, it walked a few paces towards the hunter! The hunter shot again! And again! And he knew for sure he had hit the animal three times! But that brave deer just moved slowly but surely, closer and closer to the hunter! When the deer and the hunter were only about one meter apart, the animal jumped up, leaped over the hunter’s head and disappeared into thin air! The hunter was so scared that he gave up hunting that very moment and never shot another animal again. He realized in a flash that the guardian spirit of the mountains was warning him to stop hunting animals, or face the consequences.”

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“What a beautiful story,” Emily said. “And I agree with the moral: the hunter became greedy, and killed many more animals than he needed for food. When his hunting became an obsession, it became a vice, instead of a natural means of subsistence!”

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“Why do you say that the deer we saw, el viejo, is related to the story?” I asked don Evaristo.

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“Well, it’s just that we have never ever seen such an old deer anywhere else! And there are so many hunters around. But not one of those hunters has ever managed to shoot our dear viejo. But we’re sure he can sense when people are just out in the woods in search of natural beauty and peace of mind, like you two, this afternoon. He has come up to us too, so many times...

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Written by Homero Adame and translated by Pat Grounds. Originally published in the English textbook Orbit 3. By Homero Adame, Pat Grounds and Carol Lethaby. Ediciones Castillo, S.A. de C.V. Monterrey, Mexico. 2000. Pp. 192-193.

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You can find more Mexican folk stories on any of these links:

Leyendas mexicanas en inglés 

and

Mitos y leyendas de México en inglés

If you're looking for bilingual folk stories, here's a book written by Homero Adame and translated by Dr. Patricia Grounds:

Historias y leyendas de San Miguel de Allende / 

Stories and Legends of San Miguel de Allende

https://www.amazon.com/dp/607297287X

Myths and legends from Sinaloa: The Seven Golden Cities of Cibola

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THE SEVEN GOLDEN CITIES OF CIBOLA

(Folk story from the State of Sinaloa)

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One evening I was having dinner with some friends in Choix, Sinaloa, when one of them mentioned the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. She said they lay somewhere in the mountains that divide Sinaloa and Sonora. Then somebody, Ruperto was his name, said he had actually seen those cities when he was a child. And this is what Ruperto told us that night:

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“When I was a child, I used to help my father with the sheep and sometimes he took me with him on trips to buy supplies. One day we traveled up to El Fuerte in the farm cart, did some business in town, and then went on horseback all the way to Alamos. Somewhere between Las Cañadas and Cerro Colorado, we met an old friend of my father’s, quite by chance. He was from Los Mochis and he was working with some miners and had two local Indian guides! They invited us to spend the night at their camp. The men told us they were looking for the seven lost cities of Cibola. We were very excited when the miners invited us to join their expedition.

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“Early the next morning, long before sunrise, we walked and walked in the dark until we came to a line of low hills. Suddenly, the Indian guides stopped and said we must wait for the sunrise. And, as the sun’s first rays fell on those enigmatic hills, we saw the dazzling beauty of a city of pure gold! Written by Homero Adame.

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“Some of the miners could not control their curiosity and ran straight towards the place! My father’s friend from Los Mochis was one of them! Strangely enough, the Indians didn’t take a single step in the direction of the golden domes and we, affected by their silence and immobility, stayed just as motionless beside them.

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“And thank heaven we did! Just a few minutes later, we watched the golden city fade away, leaving nothing but a line of low hills in its place. We never saw my father’s friend or any of the other men again. They vanished from the face of the earth forever!”

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“That’s a wonderful story, don Evaristo!” I said. “I’ve heard of similar phenomena in the Sahara Desert.” Written by Homero Adame.

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“Yes, indeed,” don Evaristo responded. “Disappearing cities are common motifs in universal mythology. I once read something similar in a book about myths and legends from the state of Nuevo Leon; a story called El pueblo festivo”.

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“So what happened to all those men who disappeared?” Emily asked.

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“Well, who knows?” Don Evaristo answered. “But the usual thing, according to mythological conventions, is that they can come back at some special magical date, when the place opens up once again. Once every hundred years, for example.”

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“It’s a fantastic story. A bit hard to believe, though,” She said.

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“You’re right. But it’s a folk story, after all. However, never forget that myths and legends are based on some kind of essential truth or reality. Look at the ancient stories of Troy, or King Arthur,” don Evaristo explained. “But sometimes our minds can only believe in what our eyes see. Videre est credere – as they say in Latin! Nevertheless, maybe it’s possible that Ruperto and his father did see something that existed in another dimension; something that those Indian guides knew about; something similar to what Cabeza de Vaca probably saw, more than 450 years ago.” Sinaloan legend found in Homero Adame's blog.

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Written by Homero Adame and translated by Pat Grounds. Originally published in the English textbook Orbit 3. By Homero Adame, Pat Grounds and Carol Lethaby. Ediciones Castillo, S.A. de C.V. Monterrey, Mexico. 2000. Pp. 99-100.

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This particular legend about the Siete ciudades doradas de Cíbola was published in Spanish in Mitos y leyendas del norte de México.

You can find more legends of Sinaloa or Mexico in some of the books by the keen researcher Homero Adame, which are available in Amazon, for example: click to access the collection on 

Biblioteca Homero Adame : mitos y leyendas mexicanas

If you're looking for bilingual folk stories, here's a book written by Homero Adame and translated by Dr. Patricia Grounds:

Historias y leyendas de San Miguel de Allende / 

Stories and Legends of San Miguel de Allende

https://www.amazon.com/dp/607297287X

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