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| La Llorona has emerged as a significant figure both in history and folklore. She was a Nahuatl woman of noble birth, sold into slavery by her family. When she was fourteen, she was given away again, along with twenty other women, to Hernán Cortés. Able to speak both Nahuatl and Maya, Marina became a key figure to Cortés. She later became his mistress/wife and had a child by Cortés. When Cortés was ordered to bring his Spanish wife to the New World, Cortés had her married off to one of his soldiers, Don Juan de Jaramillo. Their son was sent back to Spain. Marina died a short time later, but her memory did not. Some see her as a traitor to her Aztec people, while many others see her as the tragic victim of circumstances. Part of the tragedy of La Llorona is that she lost her son, and like so many other women, has not rested since. According to legend, she continues to cry for her child.
The image of La Llorona, the weeping woman, has brought together the Spanish and Aztec in folklore. The restless spirits of the women in these tales roam the world in search of their children’s souls. |
Todos me dicen el negro, llorona Ay! de mi, llorona Dicen que no tengo duelo, llorona Ay! de mi, llorona |