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Mexico is a land rich in legends and folklore. Here are 4 more random stories from Mexico which evoke feelings of morbid curiosity to outright terror.
- The Witch of Tepoztlan
Many years ago, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo outside the city of Tepoztlan there lived a little girl named Eztli. In the local indigenous language, “Eztli” meant “blood.” As a little girl other children made fun of Eztli not just because of her name, but because many people considered her to be very ugly. The children were cruel and would sometimes throw rocks at Eztli and chase her. As Eztli grew older, she felt more marginalized and rejected by society, so she turned to the comfort and power of the Dark Arts. She would retreat to the hill above Tepoztlan to practice her witchcraft in private. Surprising to some, Eztli eventually married, albeit later in life, and her husband worked hard to make a nice house for them, and he loved Eztli a great deal, although they 
had no children. At the time Eztli was married, there were many rumors around town that she was a witch, but her husband never heard such rumors. Many townsfolk stayed away from Eztli and locked up their homes at night because they were afraid of her. Stories abounded of the woman’s nighttime escapades, so people were overly cautious. Her husband was always so tired after the day’s work, that after Eztli prepared her customary evening meal of rellena frita, the man would go straight to bed. About a year after they were married, the man started to hear stories about his beloved wife Eztli, and he became suspicious of her. One night he pretended to go to sleep, and he watched her. What he saw frightened him: Eztli removed her own legs and attached gigantic chicken legs in their place. She then grabbed a broom, opened the window and flew out of it, heading for the hill above the city of Tepoztlan. Eztli’s husband got out of bed and warned the neighbors. Soon, dozens of people convened, carrying torches and machetes, marching on the hill. They found Eztli by following the cries of a newborn baby that she had stolen from a family and had intended to kill. When they came upon the witch about to kill the baby, three men threw a net on her to capture her. The crowd shouted to burn her, they built a bonfire, tied Eztli to a post and asked her to confess her sins, but she refused. Overwhelmed by what was happening, Eztli’s husband told the crowd to set her on fire. Eztli begged for mercy and among her cries of desperation the deep voice of a demon was heard saying “come to me.” After this event, the inhabitants of Tepoztlan avoided going up the hill after 9:00 at night.
- The Phantom Bus
The old highway from Ixtapan to Toluca was full of curves and very narrow lanes. In addition, there were very deep ravines on each side of the road, making some feel dizzy just by looking out their car windows. One evening, the famous bus number 40 began its journey to Toluca, people slept peacefully while the driver traveled the same route he always had along this old highway. The 
weather suddenly became bad, and the skies opened up. The heavy rain, the dangerous curves and the steep incline of the highway made the bus pick up speed making the passengers feel worried. The bus driver did everything he could to calm down the passengers, assuring them that they would arrive safely at their destination on time. What the bus driver did not tell the passengers was that the bus’s brakes had ceased to work and that he was no longer in control of the vehicle. One very sharp curve made the bus fly off the road and fall into one of the ravines in a matter of a few seconds. Most of the passengers were killed instantly and the few that survived the crash died when the bus caught fire and exploded. It was many hours later that the police noticed the bus wreckage in the ravine and notified the relatives of those involved. Currently, this bus route is still active and there are many legends to this day claiming that a phantom vehicle continues to travel the route. Some eyewitnesses swear that you can see an old-looking bus appear and it stops opening the door and inviting you to get on and the group of people inside look out of place, because they dress in an old-fashioned way from many decades ago. Those who dare get on this old bus are never heard from again.
- The Ghost of La Cuesta Blanca
People traveled from all over the Baja Peninsula to the Hotel Rosarito, a place to celebrate the best events. A very special day at this beautiful hotel was the wedding of Camilo and Victoria, a couple very much in love who had decided to unite their souls for life. The wedding was beautiful, and everyone enjoyed the lavish reception afterwards. The father of the bride had given the young couple a trip to Europe for their honeymoon, so they had to cross the border and travel to Los Angeles, California to catch their flight. The newlyweds left their guests, amid hugs and tears of joy, happy to start their new life. As soon as they got in their car to head north, it suddenly began to rain with dense drops of water and wind, but nothing discouraged the bride and groom. They even considered that it was somewhat romantic to drive in the rain, or that it was a blessing because they were in the middle of a harsh desert. On the way to their destination, they had to pass a 
place known as La Cuesta Blanca, or “The White Hill.” That place has a reputation for being very dangerous, as it is there that cars often speed and fall victim to terrible accidents. Near the hill today there are lights and houses, but back then it was a dark and lonely place. The bride and groom were imagining what London and Rome would be like, when suddenly at the curve of the hill a cow was trying to cross the road but got scared by the car and ran back. Camilo lost control of the car, went off the road and slammed it into a rock outcrop. Camilo was thrown from the car, and although seriously injured, Victoria was able to get out of the car and run to her husband to try to save him. She then went up to the side of the road to ask for help. The few cars that passed her just kept going, because they didn’t want to stop for a stranger on a lonely road or they were scared seeing a bride screaming and covered in blood. Meanwhile Camilo was dying and Victoria, drowning in tears, decided to stand in the middle of the road to force the cars to stop. Suddenly, a cargo truck passed by whose driver did not see her and ran over poor Victoria. The next day the driver could not bear the guilt and turned himself in to the authorities, who went to the scene of the events, finding the car destroyed and Victoria and Camilo dead next to each other. They did not explain how Victoria’s body had ended up next to Camilo’s, because the driver told them that she had been left right on the other side of the road. Legend has it that to this day Victoria appears on the side of the Cuesta Blanca asking for help from passing drivers dazzling passersby with her white dress. Other times she appears with a bloody dress and when good Samaritans stop to help her, she says with a discouraged voice, “It’s too late,” while she continues walking with her eyes looking lost before just disappearing.
- The Demonic Treasure of Xochimilco
In the southern area of Mexico City known as Xochimilco, in the Concepción Tlacoapa neighborhood, there persists a legend dating to Spanish colonial times often referred to as “La Leyenda de Tia Albina” or “The Legend of Aunt Albina.” Sometime in the 1700s, a young woman Albina lived with her father named Tobías, and they made their living selling beans and corn at the local marketplace. Although they were meager merchants, they lived in a large house on a nice piece of land with fruit trees and fountains. No one knows how they acquired the beautiful property or what ever happened to the wife of Tobías, Albina’s mother. Albina was young but had no suitors calling on her because of a persistent rumor circulating throughout Xochimilco about her. Albina 
always dressed in black and was never seen in public without a head scarf, because according to the rumor, that scarf hid a pair of horns. It was said that between Albina and her father they had so much money that they took it out to the patio of their house to be aired out in vases and clay pots. There was no logic that mere vendors of corn and beans should have so much wealth, so people began to suspect that Albina and Tobías had a pact with the devil. The suspicions and fears of the neighbors grew when rumors circulated that someone claimed to have seen a black bull lying in a bed of that house. Tobías and Albina died mysteriously and quite unexpectedly, and since they had no close relatives, the Spanish government expropriated the land to build a primary school in that same place. Several people moved by greed decided to enter the abandoned house in search of money, digging holes looking for the pots full of gold and silver coins. After the construction of the school began, there were rumors that some workers who participated in the construction of the school found coins in the walls of the former home and other valuables buried in the old foundation of the once-grand house. Today, not only is the house gone, but so is the school, and it is said that if one walks through the abandoned property, the devil himself will stop you and offer you gold and silver, provided you bring seven souls to him. In 21st Century Xochimilco no one goes near this place.
REFERENCES
Thanks to Viajes de un Chapin web site.
