Some of the best known legends of Moquegua are the spring of shrimp, the girl from Acacollo, the chuyachaqui or the mermaid of Mollesaja.
Moquegua belongs to one of the departments that constitutes the Republic of Peru. This place is full of stories and legends, many of them speak of witches, spells, demons, goblins or specters.
This city founded in 1626 under the name of Villa de Santa Catalina de Guadalcázar del Valle de Moquega and was recognized as a city in 1823.
For a long time, the inhabitants of the Peruvian area have always been very superstitious and believers.
Religion and obedience to some rites have always run through his veins for many generations.
The fear of suffering an illness makes legends gain strength in certain places of Moquegua. Here we tell you five of his best known legends.
The Shrimp Spring
A long time ago, when Muylaque - a town in the Moquegua region - was small, it was forbidden to approach certain gorges.
Apparently, in these places the devil lived, which could transform into rare animals. Anyone who dared to challenge him went mad to death.
After several years and generations, the warnings faded. When no one was paying attention to the advice of the elders, roads were built to access the grasslands.
A young man blinded by the amount of cutters felt the need to drink water. He approached a stream of water gushing from the spring and was surprised to see huge submerged shrimp. He couldn't resist the temptation to snatch them up and take them home.
After cooking and sharing them with her family, all of her died. Apparently they were enchanted animals.
Today that gorge is still highly respected. Human voices continue to be heard, as do disproportionate animals and even an old woman on the prowl. Those who dare to cross it run past to avoid being caught.
Acacollo's girl
Many years ago, at the top of Acacollo lived a girl who looked like a cloud. Every night she descended into town to make her appearance.
She was a charming of young men and boys, and anyone who did not believe in her ended up dying or going mad.
One night he descended to rest on the first floor of a workshop. The owners of the house were stunned and did nothing to upset her because of the fear of dying.
Since then that room belongs to the lovely Acacollo, who comes down to rest every night and should not be disturbed.
Chuyachaqui
The chuyachaqui is a little dwarf man with a big hat, something like a goblin. According to the inhabitants of the Iberian jungle, this goblin is dedicated to kidnapping children.
Apparently, when there are children in the jungle, it induces them to chase him to keep them.
On one occasion, a mother could see her son chasing a chuyachaqui. The woman was not able to reach him and ended up losing sight of him.
Thanks to experts who knew the jungle well, he found it five days later. His condition was very deteriorated, bruised and dehydrated, in addition to being in shock.
A mysterious fire
The mysterious fire consists of a flame that appears in some areas of the Moquegua hills. It is said that a treasure hides under the flame, and whoever wants to get hold of it must give up a life in return, otherwise they will die.
It is not known where the treasures come from, it is only known that they come loaded with gold. The inhabitants of the area say that this mysterious fire turns people into greedy beings.
Mollesaja Mermaid
Mollesaja's mermaid is a beautiful half-human and half-fish woman who lives in the waterfalls that give this feminine beauty its name.
This siren emits a very special melody when she plays the guitar. It is said that it makes its appearance in the so-called “bad hours”, at 12 noon and 12 at night.
When the time approaches, the inhabitants of the area leave their guitars at the Mollesaja waterfalls for the siren to tune them.
When someone plays the guitar in town and a pleasant melody sounds, it is said that "that guitar has been tuned by the siren."
References
- Moquegua. (1997). Tales and Legends of Moquegua. 2017, by Scribd Website: Tales and Legends of Moquegua-Oral Tradition
- Wikipedia. (2016). Department of Moquegua. 2017, from Wikipedia Website: Department of Moquegua
- Pablo Mar Camino. (1997). Tales and legends. 2016, from Casa de la Cultura Moquegua Website: Casa de la Cultura Moquegua-Tales and Legends
- Publishers EncyclopediaBritannica. (2015). Moquegua. 2017, from Encyclopedia Britannica Website: britannica.com