THE 24 MOST POPULAR SHORT MEXICAN LEGENDS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Mexican short legends are stories of oral folk tradition transmitted from voice to voice, so you do not have a specific author. They are stories about natural or supernatural events that were born in real times and places, thus providing credibility to the stories.

They usually speak of miracles or historical events embellished by the common knowledge. Within the legends the myth enters; it tells stories about gods and is part of the ancient religious tradition of ancient civilizations. For its part, the legend in general talks about everyday events that happened to ordinary people.

Island of the dolls, Xochimilco

To know the legends of a people is to know their culture to a large extent, since in the legends the interests, folklore, values ​​or even the fears of the group of people who share them can be observed. In Mexico, this vocal tradition descends from pre-Hispanic times.

At that time the oral story was the preferred method for sharing knowledge about the history and origin of some traditions. On the other hand, during the viceregal era - with the arrival of Catholicism - the tradition of legends about miracles or specters from the afterlife began.

With the passage of time, this custom was used to spread mysterious daily events, thus giving rise to the urban legend that is also shared from speaker to speaker. The following is a list of Mexican legends, segmented according to their historical origin.

List of the best known short legends in Mexico

Island of dolls

In the tourist channel of Xochimilco, in Mexico City, there is a place totally covered by thousands of dolls. The owner of the area, Don Julián, placed them throughout the island to drive away the spirit of a girl, who died drowned among the lilies and stalked him at night.

Over time, the place attracted a large number of visitors, who brought Don Julián more dolls for protection. As he got older, Don Julián said that a mermaid from the river had been visiting him for a long time to take him away. When the man died of cardiac arrest, his body was found by the water.

The ironing

Some time ago, Eulalia, a kind and patient nurse, worked at the Juárez Hospital in Mexico City. Everyone recognized her for her good attitude, her care and her impeccable and always well-ironed clothes.

In the hospital she fell in love with a doctor, whom she promised to marry; however, he never told her that he was already engaged. Following disappointment, Eulalia fell ill, neglected her patients, and eventually died.

Thousands of mourners in the city have claimed to have been cared for by the nurse, who now roams the hospital like a lost soul, caring for patients in need.

The black charro

Legend has it that at night, next to the roads in the towns, a man dressed as a charro usually appears mounted on a beautiful black horse. If you are nice to him and allow him to accompany you home, he will leave you alone and continue on his way.

However, on one occasion Adela, a carefree young woman, came across him while wandering. To lighten her pace, she asked the man to put her on the horse. When mounted, the horse increased in size and caught fire; the charro revealed her identity: it was the devil.

Upon hearing the young woman's screams, the neighbors came out but could not do anything and saw her burn before their eyes. She was now owned by the devil, who took her while she burned.

The Chupacabras

In the mid-1990s, a group of Mexican peasants panicked; at night a strange creature attacked the cattle, sucking the blood of goats and cows alike. All the animals had the same characteristics: a bite on the neck.

The panic was such that American biologists began an investigation into it. They concluded that there was no animal species that had the characteristics of the supposed chupacabra and that it was probably a coyote; however, there are hundreds of photographs and videos of the strange creature that have not yet been explained.

The founding of Tenochtitlán

Tenochtitlan, founded by the Mexica.

Approximately during the 6th century, the inhabitants of Aztlán - today in northern Mexico - abandoned their land and began a huge pilgrimage commissioned by Huitzilopochtil, their main deity, in search of the promised land.

To know that they were in the right place, Huitzilopochtli would send them a signal: a golden eagle standing on a large nopal devouring a snake. Seeing this vision, the Aztecs began the construction of the great city that would be called Tenochtitlán.

Just as Huitzilopochtli had promised, the area was kind, as its abundant water gave them economic and even military advantages. The Aztec Empire would be powerful and would dominate much of Mesoamerica.

At present, this vision of the eagle on the cactus is embodied in the shield of the Mexican flag.

The legend of volcanoes

Popocatepetl

In times of the powerful Aztec Empire, its neighboring towns were subjected to pay tribute. The Tlaxcalans, great enemies of the Aztecs, were fed up with this situation and decided to take up arms.

Popocatépetl, one of the great Tlaxcala warriors, decided to ask for the hand of his beloved Iztaccíhuatl, the beautiful daughter of a great chief. The father accepted, and if he returned victorious from the battle the wedding would take place.

During Popocatepetl's absence, a jealous man falsely announced to the lady that her lover had died; After a few days, Iztaccíhuatl died of sadness. When the warrior returned victorious he was greeted with the tragic news.

To honor his memory, he joined 10 hills and laid his beloved on the top; he would carry a torch with him and guard it forever. This legend tells of the origin of the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes –the sleeping woman–, which remained together forever.

The Cempasúchil flower

The story of Xóchitl and Huitzilin, two young Aztecs in love, began from their childhood, when they both used to climb the hills and offer flowers to Tonatiuh, the sun god. Upon reaching age, Huitzilin had to fulfill his duties as a warrior and leave his town to fight.

Unfortunately, the young man died in battle. Upon learning of this, Xóchitl climbed a mountain and begged Tonatiuh to allow them to be together. Then, the sun god threw lightning on her, turning her into a beautiful bright orange flower.

Huitzilin, in the form of a hummingbird, would approach to kiss Xóchitl turned into a flower. This is the origin of the cempasúchil flower, used in pre-Hispanic tradition to guide the dead to the world of the living.

The weeping woman

Perhaps the most popular Mexican legend. It tells of a mestizo woman who had 3 children with an important Spanish gentleman out of wedlock. After years of asking her to formalize their relationship, the woman learned that the gentleman had joined a high-class Spanish lady.

As revenge, the mestizo woman took her children to the river to drown them; later, she took her own life out of guilt. Her soul would grieve through the streets of the city for all eternity, crying out in regret for having killed her children.

The alley of the kiss

In the city of Guanajuato lived the noble Doña Carmen, who fell in love with young Luis. Carmen's father, a violent man, did not agree with this love and warned his daughter that he would take her to Spain to marry her to a rich man. The lady's companion alerted Luis to what had happened.

Don Luis, desperate, bought the house opposite Carmen's. A narrow alley connected the windows of both houses; out there, the lovers would get together to devise an escape, but Carmen's father discovered them and stuck a dagger in her daughter's chest. While the young woman died, Luis only managed to kiss his hand from the window.

The mulatto woman from Córdoba

During the time of the Inquisition, a beautiful young mulatto lived in the state of Veracruz. Because the other women were jealous of her for her beauty, she was accused of witchcraft, but the Christian authorities found no evidence against her.

Shortly after, the mayor of Córdoba fell in love with her but was never reciprocated. Enraged, he accused the woman of making a pact with the devil to make him fall in love; Due to her previous accusations, this time she was found guilty and sentenced to the stake.

The night before her execution, locked in a dungeon, she asked the guard for a piece of coal; with this he drew a large boat. Impressed, the guard told him that he looked so real that he only needed to walk; immediately afterwards, the mulatto got on the ship and disappeared.

The vampire tree

When New Spain was still an adventure territory for European sailors, an English man arrived at the town of Belen in Guadalajara. After his arrival, the man was reserved and lonely; suspiciously, the animals began to die and the children appeared lifeless, bled to death.

One night, armed with courage, the villagers searched for the person responsible for the murders. A scream came from a hut: the English man had bitten a peasant. The mob confronted him, drove a stake into him, and dozens of bricks were stacked on top of him.

Legend has it that a tree grew out of the bricks, thanks to the wood of the stake. The villagers say that if a branch is torn from the tree, it bleeds as the victims did.

The burned street

During colonial times a Spanish family came to New Spain. The daughter of the couple, a 20-year-old girl, immediately attracted all the wealthy men, who wanted to marry her. But it was an Italian marquis who decided to conquer his.

Every day she posed under her balcony, challenging any man who wanted her to a duel. Every morning the lifeless bodies of innocent passers-by who dared to pass through her window appeared. Heartbroken at causing these deaths, the young woman decided to disfigure her face.

He brought his face close to the burning coal, thus erasing all traces of her beauty. However, the marquis continued with his proposal, as he assured that he loved her inside.

Shaken, the young woman agreed to be his wife. She spent the rest of her life hiding her face with a black veil; the street from her balcony was renamed in her honor.

Ghost bus

One rainy night, a bus was traveling along the highway that goes from Toluca to Ixtapan de la Sal, a magical town located to the southwest of Mexico City.

The passengers were asleep and the driver was trying to maintain control given the large amount of rain and the wetness of the road. Upon reaching the height of the Calderón curves, the bus's brakes did not respond and the car went flying through a ravine.

All the passengers died; those who did not die as a result of the impact, died burned by the flames.

The legend of the ghost bus refers to this fact, and indicates that a very old bus usually circulates on this road, full of passengers who do not say a word and are finely dressed.

According to legend, this bus stops at the request of regular passengers. When the passengers he picked up reach their destination, the bus driver asks them to get off without looking back. It is said that whoever obeys this request will only hear the bus go away, although it will not be possible to see it again.

On the other hand, those who do not pay attention and look back, despite the driver's request, the scene that the passengers will see will be a bus full of the abused bodies of those who perished in said bus, and it will no longer be possible to get off this bus..

Ghostly hospital

This legend refers to an old hospital that no longer exists and that was located in Morelia, in the state of Michoacán.

It is said that various episodes full of pain and suffering took place in that hospital, and the legend indicates that every night the cries of the people who perished there or who experienced the development of a disease can be heard there every night.

In the collective imagination there is information on a specific case related to this hospital. It was about a woman who received a kidney transplant there. Unfortunately, the woman's body rejected the kidney, causing her to lose her temper and throw herself through one of the hospital windows.

One of the stories associated with this hospital is that it is possible to see this woman leaning out of the window through which she jumped years before.

Hairy hand

It is said that at the beginning of the 1900s a man with the surname Horta lived in Puebla. He owned a pious mountain.

The pious mountains were a kind of money collected through contributions or discounts made to people who were part of an organization, to serve as support directed to the use of wives and children in the event that the man died.

It turns out that Mr. Horta was characterized by being very greedy and bad behavior. He was very frowned upon in the town and many people wished him bad things. There was a common desire, proclaimed by all who passed near the establishment, and that was that they expected God to dry his hand.

Legend has it that eventually this happened, since once Mr. Horta died, his hand became black and very rigid, a surface of hair grew on the back and the rings he always wore ended up being incorporated into his skin.

This hand is the protagonist of the legend, since different people swear to have seen a hairy hand that comes out of the grave of Mr. Horta, without being attached to any body, and moves looking for someone to harm.

Alba's ring

Doña Alba was a wealthy woman, whose only lack was not having children. It is said that one night, when she was 80 years old, Alba dreamed very clearly about how she would die.

After this dream, she entrusted the priest of her parish that, once she died, he would be in charge of distributing her abundant inheritance among the people of the town where she lived.

The lady died, and while the wake and burial were taking place, one of the two undertakers who moved the body was very attracted to a large ring that Alba was wearing.

After burying her, these two gravediggers went to the cemetery and unearthed Mrs. Alba. Upon reaching it, they realized that Alba's hand was closed and the ring could not be removed.

Without any qualms, the undertakers cut Alba's finger where the ring was and left. As they were about to leave the cemetery, they both heard a deafening scream.

One of the gravediggers never returned; the other, before running off, could barely turn around and observe the terrifying image of Dona Alba pointing at him with the amputated finger.

The religious of the cathedral

This story is framed in a convent located in Durango, in the period in which the intervention of France in Mexican territory took place. It is said that a nun who lived there fell madly in love with a French soldier.

The nun always saw the French soldier, but never dared to speak to him. In this context, the Mexican army appeared, ambushing the area and capturing the French soldier.

The most dramatic thing in the story is that this nun from her window saw how the French soldier was shot. Legend has it that this felt so bad for the nun that she decided to end her life by jumping from a convent window facing the courtyard.

According to legend, the silhouette of this nun can be seen today in the bell tower of the convent.

The devil's swing

The present legend is located in the municipality of Tecozautla, located in the state of Hidalgo and very close to the state of Querétaro.

It is said that to get to the main road in the area it is necessary to go through a path in which, according to the residents of Tecozautlza, there are always strange and shocking noises.

There is a specific anecdote related to an event that happened in this area. It turns out that two young men walked that path at night, so feared by the general public. When they reached some hills, they saw that there was a swing between them, and a man was sitting on this swing, rocking.

According to legend, this man had a particular appearance: he was very white and thin, and every time he rocked he would scream in a terrifying way, although a smile was frozen on his face.

The young men were about to run when they saw that behind the man appeared a ghostly black figure, hugged him and both were set on fire. They were completely consumed, because under the swing only the ashes remained.

The explanation given by the townspeople is that this man had sold his soul to the devil a long time ago, and that the devil only hoped to have witnesses to finally take the body of the condemned man as well.

The curse of Juan Manuel de Solórzano

In the historic center of Mexico City there is a street called República de Uruguay. In this street there is a very old house, from the time of the viceroyalty that Mexico lived; Don Juan Manuel de Solórzano resided in that home, a wealthy man who went out of his way for his wife.

One day he found out that his wife was cheating on him with another, who was also his nephew; This news made him feel very bad and, amid his disgust, don Juan decided to sell his soul to the devil.

The request of the devil who was don Juan to go out into the street with a knife and kill the first one he came across; according to the devil, that man would be his nephew. Don Juan, who had never killed anyone, did so; however, he was terrified to discover that the one he had killed was not his nephew, but a stranger.

After this crime, Don Juan Manuel de Solórzano decided to hang himself with a rope in a candelabrum that he had in his house, because he could not with repentance and he feared for the social and legal consequences.

Legend says that it is possible to see don Juan on the streets of the historic center of Mexico City, who goes in search of his nephew and asks the devil to honor the promise he made years ago.

Macuiltépetl cave

This cave is located on the Macuiltépetl hill, which is located in the city of Xalapa, in the state of Veracruz. At the base of the hill there are several caves, some deeper than others.

There is one cave in particular that is striking due to its vast depth. It is said that within it there are unparalleled riches, but they are only available once a year and only to a person who needs them very urgently.

There is an anecdote that once there was a poor woman whose daughter was very ill. The woman had wasted all her money paying for doctors who ultimately did not cure her daughter.

All of the woman's savings had been lost, so she had neither to feed herself nor to feed her daughter, whom she was carrying. In this context, the woman was going to the city of Xalaca to ask for donations.

As she was walking, the woman saw some bright hues inside one of the caves. She approached with curiosity and discovered that there were many, many Spanish gold doubloons, ancient currency.

Faced with such wealth, the woman began to collect everything she could. As she could not also hold her daughter, she took the treasures that fit in her arms and went to leave it in a safe place; It takes me all night to go back and forth. The woman returned the next day, and when she reached the same place she found neither the cave nor her daughter.

The gates of hell in Yucatán

This legend tells a story that occurred on a farm located in Cholul towards the end of the 19th century. Two peasants who lived on that hacienda chose to marry; their names were Maria and Juan.

The day before the wedding, Juan was working in the fields and when he returned he found out that the ranch foreman had raped María. This upset Juan, who went to look for the foreman at his house and, without a word, murdered her with a machete blow right to the head.

Juan was a man with good feelings, so after having killed the foreman he felt a terrible guilt, so terrible that he wanted to die by hanging right there. The news reached the ears of Juan's parents, who, annoyed and upset, threw a terrible curse on the farm.

It is said that nowadays on the hacienda it gets dark much earlier than in the surroundings, and that at night moans and laments are heard. The popularity of this hacienda is such that some residents say they have seen various groups in it that carry out practices related to satanic rituals.

This hacienda has been called the gates of hell because, according to the inhabitants of the area, at the entrance of the room there is a notice that welcomes Satan.

The ghost of the nun

In the 16th century, a young woman named María de Ávila lived. She fell in love with another young mestizo named Arrutia, who really would only be married to Maria because of his social status and wealth.

María had two brothers, named Alfonso and Daniel; they deciphered the young man's intentions and prohibited him from associating with his sister. Arrutia ignored it, until Alfonso and Daniel offered him a large sum of money, after which Arrutia left.

Maria did not hear from Arrutia, who left untimely. This caused him to suffer from a severe depression that lasted two years. Given this, her brothers made the decision to intern her in the Old Convent of La Concepción, currently located on Belisario Domínguez street, in the historic center of Mexico City.

There, Maria spent all her days praying, especially asking for Arrutia. One day he could no longer bear the depression and hanged himself in a tree in the courtyard of the convent. From her death it is said that her specter haunts the convent gardens, and appears in the reflection of the waters.

In addition, the story goes that his ghostly form went to find Arrutia and murdered him, so that he could be with him forever.

The corn people

Hunab-Ku symbol in the Mayan calendar

According to the Mayan tradition, when the great creator Hunab Ku made the world there were only plants, seas and animals, so he felt alone. To improve his situation, he created the first clay people; however, these were fragile and easily cracked.

In a second attempt he made the wooden people; These were strong and beautiful, but they did not speak and therefore could not worship their gods, so Hunab Ku launched a great flood and attempted their creation one last time.

On the third occasion he created the corn people. These were of different colors, they knew everything and saw everything, causing the gods to be jealous. The creator blinded them by putting mist in their eyes, so they could no longer see the deities, only worship them.

Legend of Our Lady of Solitude and the Mule

According to this Oaxaca legend, a muleteer traveled to Guatemala from the streets of Oaxaca; It was the year 1620. Although he was carrying several mules, the man realized that there was one more, with a large load, that he did not know whose or where it was.

When the mules and the muleteer arrived at the Hermitage of San Sebastián (Chiapas), the mysterious mule fell to the ground because of how tired it was. As the muleteer did not know anything about the mule, and did not want to get into trouble, he called the police, who opened the package that the animal was carrying.

Then they were surprised when they discovered that the mule was carrying a crucifix, an image of the Virgen de la Soledad and a sign with the phrase "The Virgin of the Cross." It is said that after learning of the event, Bishop Bartolomé Bojórqueza decided to start building a sanctuary in honor of the Virgin.

The warrior's love for Xunaan

Illustration of the cenote of Bolonchén

Bolonchen de Rejón (Quintana Roo) is a town that stands out for the caves of Xtacumbilxunaán and, above all, for its nine cenotes. These cenotes, according to Mayan legend, were created by the gods to supply the town with water.

When the first settlers settled, the strongest and bravest of the warriors fell in love with Xunaan, a beautiful and sweet young woman who also had enormous affection for the soldier.

However, her mother refused to join, so she decided to hide Xunaan in a cave in Akumal. The warrior insistently searched for her, but not even with the help of all the people he could find the whereabouts of his love. However, she never gave up.

Months later, a beautiful bird approached a group of women who were washing clothes by a well. The bird landed on the water and began to splash to get her attention. When they realized it, they followed him and the bird approached them to the cave where Xunaan was imprisoned, which was singing a song with her beautiful voice at that moment.

The women alerted the warrior, who descended to the cave to rescue her despite the difficulties. It is said that since then, the warrior descends every night to that same cave to listen to the song of his love.

Cocoa, the great gift to the men of Quetzalcóatl

Quetzalcoatl. Source; http://www.crystalinks.com/quetzalcoatl.html Quetzalcóatl, one of the most generous gods, wanted to have a gift with the Toltec people to venerate the sacrifice of his wife.

Legend has it that the god took a cocoa tree from paradise and planted it on earth in a soil fertilized by the blood of his faithful wife, hence the dark hue of the beans.

In order for the tree to grow strong, he asked Tlaloc to bless it with rain. In turn, he requested Xochiquétzal to decorate him with beautiful flowers. This combination resulted in this sacred tree giving its fruits and thus obtaining the wonderful cocoa.

The cruel owl woman

The owl is a witch who, according to Mexican folklore, sold her soul to the devil in order to have the ability to transform into a strong and huge bird the size of an adult.

Bloodthirsty like no other, when dusk comes, it prowls flying close to people -especially children- whom it kidnaps to sacrifice in its occult rituals.

There are many who claim to have seen it at night flying over their rooftops, even leaving scratches on their doors or windows as a warning sign.

Themes of interest

The streets of colonial cities and their legends.

Legends of Guatemala.

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. Mexican Archeology (2016) The creation of men according to the Popol Vuh. Mexican Archeology. Recovered from arqueologiamexicana.mx
2. Content (sf) 6 Terrifying Legends of the Colony. Content. Recovered from content.com.mx
3. El Universal (2013) The 10 Most Famous Legends of Mexico. El Zócalo Online Newspaper. Recovered from zocalo.com.mx
4. Herz, M. (2017) The legend of the founding of Tenochtitlán. Inside Mexico. Recovered from inside-mexico.com
5. Herz, M. (2017) The Legend of the Cempasuchil Flower. Inside Mexico. Recovered from inside-mexico.com
6. History Channel (sf) The Dark Island of the Dolls. Your History. Recovered from tuhistory.com
7. Orozco, C. (2017) The Legend of Popocatepetl & Iztaccíhuatl: A Love Story. Inside Mexico. Recovered from inside-mexico.com
8. Rodríguez, N. (sf) The Creepiest Urban Legends and Stories from Mexico. Ranker. Recovered from Ranker.com