A Guatemalan Ghost Story

Posted on behalf of Damon Guinn and Javier Cárcamo

They say you can hear her approaching in the dead of night. The wind starts to whirl and the dogs howl. Old ladies in the village cross themselves with trembling hands then clench their white, boney knuckles in urgent prayer.

Try to run. It’s no use. Your footsteps grow heavy and slow. The air around you suddenly becomes cold – your heart is gripped with fear. Then you hear a scream and a desperate wail...“Wherrrrre isssss myyyy sonnnn?! Wherrrrre isssss myyyy sonnnn?!”

The scream grows louder and louder. You have to escape. There’s no time to spare. If the third scream finds you, La Llorona will get you!

So goes the legend of La Llorona, “The Crying Woman,” a ghost story practically every child in rural Guatemala knows by heart.

“Our grandparents say that on a small and humble farm surrounded by mountains and rivers, there lived a young woman who got pregnant by a man who deceived her while her husband was away on a long trip,” Gloria, a 15-year-old sponsored youth, quietly incants. She tells the story to her friends and siblings late at night, in the eerie glow of a flickering fire that casts long, lurking shadows.

As legend has it, the woman goes mad and drowns her baby in the river. Stricken with grief, she repents and begins an endless search for her son. But it’s too late...she’s damned to wander the dark and all the places where water runs until she finds her drowned child. If you cross her path, she’ll try to drown you too.


“People say that when they hear her, their hair stands on end, and it is impossible to run and escape,” Gloria whispers cautiously. “When her crying is far away, it means she is very near; and when it is close, La Llorona is far away.”

To this day, Guatemalans claim to hear La Llorona near the coffee plantations of Sacatepéquez and the ruins of Antigua. Some believe that her presence foreshadows death. Some say it’s a cautionary tale warning young girls not to get pregnant. Still others believe it is a parable, suggesting La Llorona drowned her son to spare him from a life of poverty...that even death is better than being poor.

One thing’s for sure though – with legends like La Llorona floating about this Halloween, it’s scary to think what could happen to poor children in Guatemala if you weren’t around to look after them.

Photos by Javier Cárcamo, from Children International's agency in Rural Guatemala.

In My Own Words: Meeting Glendy

Sponsoring a child is a life-changing experience for many people. Sponsors can develop fulfilling relationships with their sponsored children that last a lifetime. Some are fortunate enough to travel to the remote villages and actually meet their sponsored children and their families.

“In My Own Words” is inspired by those dedicated sponsors who want to share their sponsorship story...

Three years ago, I sponsored a child in Guatemala who lived in Antigua, located 30 miles from Guatemala City. At the time, she was 5 years old and about to enter school. I thought it would be rewarding to go there and meet Glendy Roxanne Camargo and her family. I contacted the Children International world headquarters located in Kansas City to coordinate my visit.

Upon my arrival in Guatemala, I called their local headquarters in Guatemala City, and a few days later was picked up at my hotel in a mini-van provided by an interpreter. Forty minutes later we arrived in the historic city of Antigua and a compound that has a small infirmary consisting of limited dental and medical services. Of course, all the children gathered around to get a glimpse of the American visitor.

We were directed to a small office where Glendy and her mother were waiting. They were a bit quiet, and held back as after all it was our first encounter. After hugs and greetings, we were then driven to their living quarters where numerous families were housed. Tropical birds were abundant along the pathways, and tortillas were cooked on stone stoves in the open. There were also lots of flies everywhere.

Once we reached Glendy’s home, I learned that five people lived in a hut consisting of a corrugated roof, dirt floor and heavy plank walls. There were two beds, makeshift closets or small dressers, an electric stove, a small TV, no toilet or running water and, of course, lots of flies. Can you just imagine?! Needless to say, I broke down and cried – and we complain at times. I will never complain again! We are so blessed!

I met the rest of the family and disseminated the gifts I brought with me in two large suitcases. There was something for all members of the family.

Glendy loves dolls. She had two worn-out dolls of which I’m sure she loved dearly. Well, I had six dolls, and she was overwhelmed with emotion as was the rest of the family.

Soon after, we were off to Guatemala City. Glendy had never been there before, and was truly in awe of the sights and sounds along the way. The highlight of the trip was a long stay at McDonald’s. McDonald’s there is truly a showplace. I travel a lot and it is the very best.

Early in the evening, we arrived back to her compound where I also met her father and grandmother. We took more pictures with them. It came time for me to leave, and we walked back to the van. As I was about to depart, I bent down for a hug and kiss. Glendy clung on tight as she didn’t want me to leave. Of course, you know what happened next.

Yes, I cried again!!

It was one of life’s experiences I shall never forget, and I’m sure she won’t either.

Same time next year, Glendy?

Harold Wentworth