The Haunted Verapaces

Attribute it to the mist that cloaks the region, but Las Verapaces abounds in legends of spirits, both malevolent and benign. Many a man stumbling home from the local cantina claims to have encountered the fearsome Cadejos, the apparition of a large, fiery-eyed dog. However, that's better than a run-in with the beautiful temptress Simanagua, who may lure him, sirenlike, to his demise.

The unidentified wailing that pierces the night might be the Llorona—the apparition of a young woman whose cries materialize at houses where someone has died. According to legend, she spends eternity searching for her lost child.

The Llorona's late-night weeping could be punctuated with the crowing of the Saktzoxul, the ghost-rooster. Never stop by the figlike amate tree at midnight. Although its sap is used as a solvent in herbal remedies, the devil is said to linger there in the wee hours.

Residents of many towns and cities in Guatemala have told these tales for generations. Is there a word of truth to any of these stories? Probably not, but don't let that spoil your fun on some dark, misty, chipi-chipi-shrouded night.