- List of myths and legends of Campeche in Mexico
- 1- Kinich Ahau
- 2- The grotto
- 3- The gallant knight
- 4- The bridge of dogs
- 5- The alley of the devil
- 6- The Canancol
- 7- Xtabay
- 8- The girl and the dog
- 9- Doña Ines
- 10- Black Christ of San Román
- Themes of interest
- References
Many legends and myths of Campeche originate from Mayan oral traditions, since this territory was occupied by this civilization some 3,000 years ago. Located in the southeast of Mexico, it borders Tabasco, Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Belize and Guatemala. The capital, also called Campeche, was declared a cultural heritage of humanity.
The formation of this state began when the Spanish began the conquest of the Yucatan Peninsula. It can be said that their traditions, myths and legends originated from this event.
Campeche Cathedral
Campeche's topography is relatively flat; most of the surface is sedimented rock of marine origin. The highest areas are found on the border with Guatemala and Quintana Roo. Its geography has had a great influence on the myths and legends of this region.
List of myths and legends of Campeche in Mexico
1- Kinich Ahau
According to the Mayans, this was the god of the sun. He was depicted as a middle-aged man with an aquiline nose, large square eyes, and a filled incision on his upper teeth.
The inhabitants of Campeche, assumed that Kinich Ahau, like the patron of Izamal, visited the people of the city at noon, each day in the form of a macaw.
2- The grotto
The current Bolochén was an ancient Mayan city, populated around nine wells. This region was affected by droughts, so the inhabitants often prayed to the god of rain and water: Chuac.
A warrior chief fell in love with a girl, but her mother did not agree with the union, so he hid the girl in a difficult place to find. The man prayed to this God and ordered his warriors to search for her.
When they passed a grotto, they heard her cry. The man built a ladder to rescue her and when he arrived he found her next to seven rocky ponds.
After their discovery of the ponds, Bolochén had no droughts again and the couple were happy for the rest of their days.
3- The gallant knight
In San Román there is an area known as the Cueva del Toro. It is said that there lives a hideous bull who takes the form of a beautiful knight to attract women to his lair.
Sometimes his moans can be heard when he is upset and wants to meet a woman. Women who are kidnapped by this monster are never seen again.
4- The bridge of dogs
It is said that when Francisco de Paula Toro was the military commander of the plaza in San Ana, he ordered the construction of a bridge where his wife often walked.
The wife in turn ordered that sculptures of her two dogs: Hannibal and Alexander be placed on the bridge.
Therefore, these two dogs became part of the folklore of this region by being immortalized. This bridge is named in the Puente de la Merced in honor of the commander's wife: Mercedes López.
5- The alley of the devil
This story refers to the alley that began in San Martín and ended in La Zanja; Here lived a deformed man who scared people at night by hiding cartridges of sulfur in his body to pretend to be the devil.
6- The Canancol
According to legend, the Canacol was a sphigy that protected crops from possible criminals.
But this was not an ordinary doll, since when it got dark the doll came to life and walked throughout the field. In this way it was possible to punish possible criminals.
Canacol was made with beeswax and corn husks. Beans were placed in the shape of eyes, corns to be his teeth and white beans for his nails; A stone is also included in his right hand so that he could defend himself. Then a sorcerer was called in so that the doll could come to life.
This ritual required the blood of the plantation owner so that the Canacol could obey the owner.
7- Xtabay
It is said that the Xtabay is a beautiful woman who hides in the ceibas to seduce men and kill them. The Xtabay woman is born next to the ceibas since this is a sacred tree.
Its origins go back to a Mayan legend about two sisters who had a competition.
8- The girl and the dog
This story is said to have occurred in Champoton. There was a girl who felt lonely since her parents often traveled outside the small town; her father was the head of the village. To make her feel less alone, her parents got her a dog.
The girl and the dog quickly became best friends; every night the dog slept next to her and licked her hands. One night, the girl woke up when the dog licked her hands but as this was normal she continued sleeping.
The next morning, he looked to his side and the dog has already died. On the mirror in his room there was a note that said: 'not only dogs lick'.
9- Doña Ines
In 1709 a Spanish nobleman lived with his daughter Inés; since he suspected that his daughter had a crush on a young pirate with a bad reputation, he prevented Ines from having a social life. One day, he saw this young man climb the stairs to Inés's room.
Enraged, he opened the doors of the room ready to kill him. Ines told him that her intentions were noble but the father said that he would not allow them to be together.
The pirate killed Inés's father and then fled as if nothing had happened to seek more adventures on the beach of Guadalupe.
Out of misery, Ines went crazy and died three months after having her admitted to an asylum.
10- Black Christ of San Román
When Campeche was struck by a plague of locusts in 1562, its inhabitants promised to make a sanctuary in the name of San Román.
The people asked a merchant to bring a crucified Christ from Italy. During the trip, the Christ came to life during a storm and helped keep the boat from sinking.
After this incident, there have been other stories that the Christ has saved the people of Campeche. Therefore, every year a traditional black Christ festival is celebrated and worshiped in this town.
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.
Chiapas legends.
Legends of Baja California Sur.
Legends of Aguascalientes.
Legends of Veracruz.
References
- Black Christ of San Román. Recovered from paratodomexico.com
- Campeche. Recovered from wikipedia.org
- The bridge of dogs. Recovered from paratodomexico.com
- The sad story of Doña Inés. Recovered from mitos-mexicanos.com
- The alley of the devil. Recovered from paratodomexico.com
- The girl and the dog. Recovered from mitos-mexicanos.com
- The Canacol. Recovered from paratodomexico.com
- The grotto. Recovered from mitos-mexicanos.com
- Xtabay. Recovered from paratodomexico.com
- The gallant knight. Recovered from mitos-mexicanos.com
- Kinich Ahau. Recovered from wikipedia.org
Mythology: Myths, Legends and Fantasies. Recovered from books.google.