THE 10 MOST POPULAR BAJA CALIFORNIA LEGENDS AND MYTHS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Many of the legends and myths of Baja California are still young. They are on the point of being rumors and hearsay, but slowly stories with some elements of legends are appearing.

The mythology of this region has been processed through the fables of the original indigenous natives that were found by the Jesuit missionaries. When a legend is put together with the symbols of the collective unconscious, a myth is formed and the seed of truth from which it originated is irrelevant.

Baja California is the northernmost state in Mexico. It borders Baja California Sur, the Pacific Ocean and the United States. Its most important cities are Mexicali, Tijuana and Ensenada.

Baja California's geography is a combination of beaches, deserts, and forests. In that state is the Sierra de Baja California, where is the Picacho del Diablo, the highest point of the peninsula. The landscapes are a combination of deserts, valleys, and coasts.

List of myths and legends of the state of Baja California in Mexico

1- The boyfriends of Cuesta Blanca

This event is said to have occurred in the second half of the 20th century. The happiness of Camilo and Victoria, newlyweds, was interrupted by an accident on the coast in Cuesta Blanca.

From then on, Camila wanders down the road, begging passersby to help her dying husband.

It is said that if you drive down this lonely road at night, you might find Camila in her bloodstained white dress crying: 'it's too late.'

The couple in this story got married at the famous Rosarito hotel; The Cuesta Blanca road is famous for the large number of accidents that occur every year.

2- The myth of La Bufadora

This myth explains the activity of the jester La Bufadora. It is said to have been created during the annual whale migration, when a calf separated from the group.

This whale got caught between the stream and the mountains; She called out to the other whales but desperately, seeing that they were not coming, she began to shoot jets of water from her blowhole.

The other whales were never able to find it and as time passed, the whale merged with the rocks of the mountain, creating the Bufadora.

3- Hanson's lagoon

A Norwegian man named Jacob Hanson is said to have purchased a house near the central Sierra de Juárez. The man was a loner and created an estate far from all civilization.

Thanks to his estate, the man accumulated a small fortune that he buried in a secret place. As rumors of this spread, criminals killed Hanson looking for his fortune, but never managed to discover the treasure.

4- Calafia

It is said that the state of Baja California owes its name to the myth of Queen Calafia. It is said that in these lands there was an island where black women lived similar to the Amazons in their lifestyle.

They were strong, lived in caves and did not allow men in their culture. They had boats and they killed the men they found, however some were their collaborators and if they became pregnant and gave birth to a child, they killed him. If they gave birth to a girl, they kept her.

It is said that Queen Calafia achieved more things than others before her, she was very beautiful, and strong. This is where California got its name.

5- The nurse

This story tells that there was a nurse who worked at the San Felipe health center. One night after her shift, she tried to drive to Mexicali to treat a patient. In Laguna Salada, she fell asleep behind the wheel, had an accident and died.

Legend has it that he now stands guard on the highway, stopping if he sees a stranded car to offer help.

6- Melchior Díaz and his grave

Legend has it that during his travels, Captain Melchior Díaz got a tribe of giants. According to the stories, he and his men came to a province of tall and strong men, like giants. These were evidently the Cocopah tribe.

While here, Diaz tried to go west to see if he could find the Pacific Ocean. However, he had an accident and his men had to carry him back.

They allegedly had to carry him for 20 days until finally Díaz died. His body is said to be buried in the desert, somewhere west of the Imperial Valley.

7- The piano of the elementary school Leona Vicario

This story tells that a music teacher died years ago in the basement of this school. It is said that on the last day of vacation, the teacher was playing the piano and did not listen when the guards knocked on the door asking if anyone was staying there.

With no one to allow her to leave, after being locked up for months, the teacher died. It is said that people who pass through this school can still hear the piano.

8- The lady of the five

It is said that a woman lived in Mexicali who abused her children. After a while and feeling guilty, she confessed to the priest, who told her that she should travel to Rome to be forgiven.

As the lady did not have money to travel, the priest ordered her to beg but he will only accept 5-cent coins; if she received another amount, she had to deny it.

For that reason, they started calling her the lady of the five, but she died before completing the money for the trip.

It is said that if a lady is found asking for 'a five' and is given another amount, she lifts her veil showing a skull and cursing the person.

9- Vaquitas of the Gulf of California

It is said that there was a man in a tribe, called the Water Coyote, who had the power to become a coyote and a sea animal. When the war came, Coyote de Agua fought alongside his brothers, but in the end only he remained.

When he fled, turned into a coyote, he went into the sea and looked for some stones. Then he placed a stone under the tongue of each woman and each child; one by one they got into the sea and became animals similar to dolphins: vaquitas.

10- The black cat

It is said that in Ensenada, there lived a girl who loved cats and adopted them. One day she found a black cat and brought it home. However, the other cats feared him. Little by little, the black cat was driving away and killing the other cats.

One day, the black cat turned into a giant cat and tangled its tail around the girl's neck until it killed her.

When he died, the other cats came back and began to meow; If they had not returned and notified, no one would have known of her death.

Themes of interest

The streets of colonial cities and their legends.

Legends of Guatemala.

Legends of Mexico.

Mayan legends.

Argentine legends.

Colombian legends.

Legends of Jalisco.

Legends of Guanajuato.

Durango legends.

Chihuahua legends.

Legends of Campeche.

Chiapas legends.

Legends of Baja California Sur.

Legends of Aguascalientes.

Legends of Veracruz.

References

1. Legend the black cat. Recovered from paratodomexico.com
2. The myth of the Bufadora in Dhiré (2011). Recovered from sites.google.com
3. Melchior Diaz. Recovered from blueroadrunner.com
4. The piano of the elementary school Leona Vicario. Recovered from paratodomexico.com
5. How the vaquitas got to the Gulf of California (2009). Recovered from classesdelprofecarlos.blogspot.com
6. Calafia, queen of Baja. Recovered from blueroadrunner.com
7. Mexican legends - Hanson's lagoon (2013). Recovered from lovienlaweb.com
8. The lady of five. Recovered from paratodomexico.com
9. The nurse. Recovered from blueroadrunner.com
10. Baja California. Recovered from wikipedia.org
11. The Newlyweds Of Cuesta Blanca. Recovered from asiesmimexico.mx.