Despite the fact that over 28 million US Latinos grow up with stories of La Llorona, I was reminded today when speaking with a non-latino living deep in "La Llorona" country how much we have guarded our stories of her...rarely speaking about her outside of our culture.
Have you ever spoken about La Llorona to "outsiders?" If not, why is that?
La Llorona belongs to us so I don't talk about her to the gringos. Anyways, they would probably either think I was crazy or get jealous cuz they don't have any interesting culture like ours.
Posted by: Manny | December 30, 2007 at 11:43 PM
"La Llorona belongs to us"?
What type of dumb-ass comment is that?
So La Llorona only makes herself seen and heard by hispanics?
Is La Llorona a racist?
Think you were crazy? yes. Gringos jealous? no. You predjudice? yes.
La Llorona makes "our" culture interesting? Give me a break. Other cultures--especially gringo ones--don't have similar stories? Wake up, stupido.
Posted by: Guillermo | May 30, 2008 at 02:15 PM
Im 100% white and Ive heard of La Llorona before i saw the movie... I grew up with a spanish uncleand no-one thought that it was a secret and that they had 2 keep La Llorona to themselfs... I dont think ppl are crazy, im not jealous, and we all have our own stories
Posted by: Amanda | July 08, 2008 at 05:17 PM
yes i have the people i go to school with ask as if wondering if they could ever have an encounter with this mystical beauty of the dark???? who knows they might actually just have one?
Posted by: cynthia | May 06, 2010 at 04:25 PM
I have heard la llorna. IN NC. She is not just a spanish tradition. I had been told stories from shildhood about it-- then one night she appeared alongside our house, which was way out to itself in the country near a river. Scary and I never saw her again. many stories went round that kids were killed in that river but I dunno if I believe that.
Posted by: C.M | September 27, 2010 at 09:38 PM
Well as an "outsider", I've always known about this story and assumed that everyone else does too. I don't really think it's any kind of secret. I think it might just be the fact that we don't believe in it (or the Easter bunny or Tooth Fairy) whereas many hispanics do (La Llorona, not the easter bunny or tooth fairy- quizas el raton pero no el hada :P). The culture generally seems a lot more superstitious.
Oh and thanks Guillermo for saying that so I didn't have to.
Posted by: Whitey McCracker | October 18, 2010 at 11:05 PM