Querétaro is considered one of the most magical places in Mexico . Its towns are full of stories, myths, and legends. This state in the Republic of Mexico is known for its inhabitants' vast knowledge of legends. Some of these stories could keep even the bravest person awake at night, due to their terrifying nature. These legends form part of Querétaro 's cultural heritage and attract a unique kind of tourism, as they are based on real events.
legends of Querétaro
The legends of Querétaro are not very extensive narratives, which are developed around a central activity, these despite the passage of time, continue to have relevance for the inhabitants of this Mexican region.
Popular tradition holds that on any street in Querétaro, one can hear the voices of the souls that still haunt the place. These spirits seek to avoid being forgotten and want all generations to know of them. To learn more about Mexican customs and traditions, read the following article: Mayan Myths.
the Carambada
Carambada was the nickname of a lady whose name was Leonarda Martínez . Legend has it that she was from La Punta and spent much of her childhood and adolescence among swindlers and thieves. This environment shaped her as a person, becoming the only way of life she knew. Her life is one of the main legends of Querétaro.
Leonarda 's parents died when she was still a child. They left her no wealth, but they did leave her younger sisters. As a result, she had to take care of them. Leonarda had to be very resourceful to survive alongside the other girls.
To live, Leonardo, joined the criminal communities among which he grew up. Since then, it was not strange to look at the wow, walking through the alleys of the town, serenely waiting for the exact moment, to take away their belongings from the wealthy. She developed the great skill of going unnoticed in any environment, that ensured her success, ambushing her victims.
How was the gosh?
Leonarda was a short, stout woman with a swarthy complexion and a very distinctive mark that unmistakably identified her. On the left side of her face, she bore a large scar.
Although it may seem strange, La Carambada adapted her behavior to her surroundings. This is how she managed to get close enough to the Mexican aristocracy to steal their jewels. Sometimes she dressed in silks and used refined language, thus winning their favor. La Carambada 's eccentricities add color to the legends of Querétaro.
It was so, that thanks to his great dexterity in the use of his hands, he managed to steal their jewelry from the ladies, and they never realized anything. She was a thief with a lot of skill in her trade, which made her very successful in these activities. Despite her many complaints, she could not stop her misdeeds and she continued without major setbacks in this criminal trade.
End of wow
Carambada was arrested countless times, as she was a very active criminal. However, they never managed to keep her in prison; she was free again, committing her misdeeds, almost as soon as they arrested her. Among other things, she was friends with many high-ranking officials, whom she would occasionally give a portion of her earnings to.
One day, a very determined official named Vicente Otero managed to put an end to Leonarda 's criminal career . Otero found her committing a robbery, as was the custom of the Carambada gang , right in the middle of the street. Leonarda tried to resist, and she was hit by a bullet, so, being wounded, she had no choice but to surrender.
For this reason, she was admitted to a hospital, where she was so badly injured that they were unable to save her life. Some people say that with her last breath she spoke a few words to redeem herself. In reality, there is no evidence of either her last words or her final fate. The story of La Carambada is part of the legends of Querétaro and, like all myths, is surrounded by popular imagination.
The House of Mr. Bartolo
People have always talked about spells and dark pacts, but their existence has never been proven. However, this story is about a man who, some say, made a pact with malevolent forces and met a terrible end. Here is one of the most terrifying legends of Querétaro.
This is the story of Don Bartolo's house . This man was known as the Segovian, and he was a Spaniard named Bartolomé Sadanetta , who lived with his sister Elvira in a beautiful house that is currently located on Luis Pasteur Street , whose facilities are occupied by the Ministry of Public Education of the State of Querétaro.
This story took place in the seventeenth century, during the viceroyalty of New Spain in Mexico . It was a time when high-society women wore beautiful, fitted dresses and crinolines that billowed twenty meters as they walked. Meanwhile, men sported enormous hats, velvet breeches, white stockings, and, on special occasions, blond, curly wigs.
It was in that century that Don Bartolomé lived comfortably without a care in the world. He always radiated youth and beauty, never seeming to age. However, the truth was that he had a wicked heart, though his physical beauty had nothing to do with his inner self.
Many have affirmed that the Segovian was an unscrupulous usurer, whose debtors paid very high interest and sometimes, because they could not continue with the debt, he took away forever the goods that had been given as collateral.
Who was really the Segovian?
It is also said that he maintained a strange relationship with his sister Elvira . The truth is that nothing could ever be proven against him, because Don Bartolo always tried to appear to be a good Christian, attending Sunday masses and all Catholic events without fail.
However, his immense wealth was striking, growing disproportionately year after year. He acquired houses, land, and businesses with remarkable ease. Even at this time, his life was becoming one of the legends of Querétaro.
Although there was a special date for Mr. Sadanetta , it was his birthday, a day of luxury and extravagance, attended by the nobility and wealthy people of the city of Querétaro , as well as some reverends.
At this celebration, Don Bartolo would always make a toast by mentioning a key date, which the attendees didn't understand, exclaiming: "I toast to my sister's wife, to my soul, and to May 20, 1701!" This date was quite distant, as these celebrations began in 1651, and it was his birthday on the night of May 19th to 20th.
That night, one of the servant girls mysteriously disappeared, never knowing what had happened, since she was never seen again. She generating all kinds of comments, and stories without being able to verify any.
The arrival of the twentieth of May 1701
As time passed, May 20, 1701, arrived, a date of ill omen, on which a mysterious and strange incident occurred. This date will forever be mentioned in the annals of Querétaro 's legends . It happened that as the chimes of the Segovian clock finished ringing at midnight, a kind of deafening and powerful explosion was heard.
This woke up half the city, which leaned out of the windows and balconies, to find out what had happened, and to be even more surprised because the sky was dyed a purple red, which dirty the firmament, with its full moon and its luminous stars. .
However, no one really knew what happened that early morning, when it seemed dawn would never come, and all sorts of conjectures and conclusions were circulating. Then, the neighbors of Don Bartolo were even more astonished, as it was quite normal to see Doña Elvira shopping at the market in the mornings and to see activity at the Segovian man's house.
More happened, just the opposite, as if that house were uninhabited, in an inexplicable way. So, it was a neighbor who informed the authorities, so that they would open the large wooden gate. Upon entering there was a strange silence in the room, although everything was normal, as if nothing had happened.
The fate of Mr. Bartolo
It was upon opening Don Bartolo 's room that everyone froze, confronted by the chilling scene. At the foot of the bed lay the lifeless body of Doña Elvira , her face contorted in terror, while clinging to the ceiling was Don Bartolo himself , his skin charred and covered in blisters, imploring God for forgiveness.
A priest, reportedly named Marmolejo , was summoned . Upon seeing him, the priest declared that the man was possessed by evil forces. He performed an exorcism that lasted for hours, a bloody battle between good and evil, during which strange and unpleasant voices could be heard emanating from the weakened body of the man from Segovia.
Finally the priest managed to detach Don Bartolo 's body from the beams and thereby remove all the dark forces, which in turn became a kind of black whirlpool, which rushed out through the window of the room.
The man's charred body fell lifeless. His stiff hands still clutched a piece of wood bearing a message that read: "Punished thus for being a hypocrite, murderer, and thief... " Meanwhile, in his wardrobe, a dark paper document was found. It contained writing in fine, angular script, stipulating a kind of contract between Don Bartolo and dark forces.
In the contract, Don Bartolo offered his soul in exchange for fifty years of disproportionate wealth, promiscuity, and physical beauty. The deadline was clear: May 20, 1701. The house remained uninhabited for a long time and became known as the House of Horrors, eventually becoming part of the terrifying legends of Querétaro.
Legend of Mutt the broken
According to legend, Chucho el Roto was born in Tlaxcala . This place is located almost in the shadow of one of Mexico 's highest peaks , La Malinche.
His original name was Jesús Arriaga , and from a very young age he was different from the rest of his classmates and friends. He liked to imitate the accents of the various dialects of the Indians who came to the market and he learned them so he could speak with them; he was very skilled at it.
It is also said that when the circuses came to town, Jesús was overjoyed, because with his talent for imitating voices, making puppets, and practicing ventriloquism, he entertained the people at the market. He was very popular with the people, and he even gained the trust of the magicians, and it was here that Jesús became known as Chucho el Roto.
As he learned tricks, it became easy for him to take small things that weren't worth much. It's said that Chucho 's family didn't have much money, but in those days there were many people even less fortunate than they were.
That's how Chucho started giving away what he stole to the very poor; he was a very Mexican Robin Hood . He did it to help them and so they would suffer a little less from the life they had.
French occupation
When the French occupied Mexico from 1862 to 1867, Chucho frequently did simple jobs for the French soldiers, such as carrying their luggage or going to the market. At the same time, he was acquiring a good command of French, as he was very skilled with languages. To learn more about the influence of reality on a culture's legends, you can read about Roman myths.
On September 16, 1869, the president of the country inaugurated the section of the national railway line that ran from Mexico City to Apixaco in Puebla , for which reason he traveled to Mexico City . It was there that Chucho met a young woman named Matilde , who was fascinated by him and invited him to a gala party, lending him some of her uncle's clothes.
Chucho attended that gala, disguised as an elegant gentleman. It is said that President Porfirio Díaz attended one of those balls , and when Chucho and Matilde went to see the president, the boy stole the president's pocket watch.
Later, when Chucho asked the president for the time, he looked for his watch and remarked in astonishment, "It seems someone has stolen my watch . " Matilde immediately excused them from the party, and they left laughing.
the first arrest
When Matilde 's uncle learned of their relationship, he fabricated charges against him, leading to his arrest and imprisonment in Belén prison . There, thanks to his skill and mastery of voices and disguises, he managed to escape, thus beginning his life of crime as he started stealing to survive.
In 1885, after several years of robbing the rich and giving to the poor, of being a Mexican Robin Hood , Chucho el Roto was finally captured, and this time he was sent to the most secure prison of those times, San Juan de Ulua , which was then an island in front of the port of Veracruz.
No one had ever escaped from this place, but with the help of a cellmate, incredibly, Chucho el Roto managed a daring escape, hiding in a vat. The vat was a drum used for the prison's wastewater. That's where he hid; later, a boat rescued him and took him far away.
Nine years later, Chucho el Roto was captured again , near the Maltrata peaks. He was wounded in the leg and cruelly dragged through the fortress square, then thrown into solitary confinement where he became seriously ill.
The supposed death of Chucho
Because of this illness, he was sent to the San Sebastián hospital in the city of Veracruz. There he would receive better medical care and, moreover, the opportunity to reunite with his sweetheart , Matilde . His daughter, Dolores , and his sister , Guadalupe , are said to have cared for him until the last days of his life.
Chucho el Roto died on March 25, 1994. An official death certificate, bearing the name Jesús Arriaga, can be found in the relevant offices. His death was confirmed by the nuns who worked as nurses at the health center where he was located.
But the story doesn't end there. Then the legend arises, because, as the story goes, during the Mexican Revolution of 1910—this is 16 years later—groups of bandits entered the cemeteries of Mexico City to desecrate and rob the graves. Although the traditional history of the revolution states that the revolutionaries never desecrated graves.
When they opened Chucho el Roto 's coffin , they found only a coffin filled with stones. Could it be that Chucho el Roto didn't die and faked his death to escape? Or worse, being a master of disguise and foreign languages, could he have been the Austrian Count , who sailed from Veracruz with his beloved Matilde , bound for France?
Legends of Querétaro of terror
Querétaro is home to many horror legends, stories that have become part of the local culture and can leave a lasting mark on those who hear them. All of these tales are based on real events, which makes them even more chilling. These legends are an important part of the region's rich cultural heritage and are deeply ingrained in the popular imagination.
The Llorona
According to legend, this myth arose long ago, during the time when the Spanish conquered Mexico. It was then that a very beautiful woman lived. Popular lore describes her as having a beautiful laugh, in which one could sense a mysterious air. She captivated everyone with her eyes. Her name was Susana ; her parents were a conquistador and an indigenous woman. This mixed heritage made her both exotic and incredibly attractive.
Susana had fallen in love with a Spanish nobleman, with whom she had several children, however she never married him, because every time she told him to marry her, he ignored the fact and preferred to omit the subject; the man's name was Santiago.
Santiago did not want to marry Susana , as he was ashamed of his impure origins. So he decided to start a new life and marry another woman. This aroused Susana 's anger and fury. Finally, Santiago 's wedding day arrived ; it was then that Susana appeared, dressed as a bride and covering her face with a white veil, making Santiago believe she was his future wife.
Susana , blinded by rage, embraced him and stabbed him with her right hand. It only took one plunge of the dagger into Santiago 's back to end his life; thus she vented her anger and avenged his betrayal. Susana 's despair and hatred drove her to flee into the woods, and in a fit of madness, she also killed her three children; then, driven mad with grief, she took her own life.
From that day on, it is said that many have seen Susana walking along the banks of rivers, lakes, and through forests, weeping for her children, for the guilt of having murdered them does not allow her to rest in peace. Now everyone knows her as La Llorona (The Weeping Woman).
It is said that if La Llorona encounters a man on the road, she will mistake him for Santiago, avenge her frustration, and kill him just as she killed him. Many claim to have seen her, others don't know whether to believe it, and still others say it's all just lies. The fact is that the story of La Llorona is part of a Mexican tradition that will endure until no one tells it anymore, and it forms a fundamental part of the legends of Querétaro.
Devil's hole
Long ago, there was a place known as the Temple of Saint Francis , where some young men trained to become priests. One day, one of the students was kneeling in prayer when he suddenly heard a sound. Turning his head, he saw a beautiful lady smiling at him.
Immediately, the young man got up from where he was and walked to where the parish priest's compound was, to tell him about the vision he had just had. He recounted the strange sight of the woman and the enigmatic way in which she smiled at him.
The parish priest, for his part, told the young man that what he had witnessed was a vision of the devil, with the intention of tempting him and keeping him away from the priesthood. He gave him the instruction, that to protect himself from these temptations, from that moment he prayed in the privacy of his cloister.
He followed the instructions and began to pray in his cloister, for a long time he did not see the apparition again. One night, when the seminary was quiet, the screams of the young priest student woke up the rest of the seminarians.
The cries for help were shrill and could be heard from a great distance. The seminarians trying to help the young man even tried to break down the door without success. This version changes a bit according to other references of the legends of Querétaro.
The young man was in the cloister, where the woman had appeared to him again, but now she had transformed into Lucifer . He clutched the Bible on his nightstand in his right hand and a wooden rosary, a gift from his beloved grandmother, in his left.
Both he and his companions did not stop praying and asking for God's grace. They prayed so much that they succeeded in making the demon go back, first a little and then another, until he had to leave the cloister by force of prayer.
A while later, a loud noise, like thunder, could be heard and the door to the room was opened. It was incredible what had just happened. On the ceiling you could see a very large black hole, which they baptized the devil's hole.
The house of the Zacatecas
This is a story of love, ambition, and betrayal. In the 17th century , a newlywed couple from Zacatecas arrived in Querétaro . They appeared to be a normal couple, full of love. Soon, however, he neglected her due to excessive work, leaving very early and returning late at night, and she, blinded by ambition, became completely consumed by it.
To be precise, the house of the woman from Zacatecas does exist, and it's located at 59 Independencia Street, two blocks from the center of Querétaro 's capital city , and it has become part of its local legends. This story begins with the couple's arrival to venture into the mining business; in fact, they amassed a considerable fortune in a short time.
They seemed to be happy in society, and perhaps they once were, but not for long. As her marriage passed, he began to work more and more, she began to get bored with her, because her husband also did not allow her to spend money hand over fist. She was a woman with expensive tastes that she could not easily indulge.
Practically secluded in her own house, the Zacatecas woman began to fall in love little by little with one of her servants. A romance began behind the back of her husband who did not stop working. The woman became so obsessed with her new lover that she only wanted to be with him. And she could bear the presence of her husband less and less.
Thus, she thought she could keep all her husband's money and enjoy it with her loved one. One night while her husband was sleeping, the woman from Zacatecas got her hands dirty and ended her life. She hid her corpse very well to cover her crime.
People began to rumor that the landlady and the servant had a sinful relationship and in just a few days, the same neighbors began to express their concern about the absence of the master of the house. The woman replied that she was on a business trip, but her excuses did not stop the gossip.
One day, tired of being judged, and in the panic of being discovered and imprisoned, she decided to take his life, this time from her lover and only witness. She used the same method as her with her husband, and the remains of both men rested several meters underground in the garden of the house. With the murder of the two men, the servants began to distrust her mistress.
Later, the same servant friends of the lover, outraged at the actions of the lady of the house, hatched a plot and one day the woman was found dead in the house. When the authorities arrived, they found her body. And guided by the comments, they also unearthed the men killed by the Zacatecan.
Currently, the building houses the "Casa de la Zacatecana" museum , which displays a collection of artifacts and decorations from that era. It is said that paranormal activity has never ceased in this place. Employees constantly see or hear inexplicable sounds, as well as witness apparitions. Latin America is very rich in its legends; to learn more, you can read about the Alicanto.
It's common to hear her wailing at night. According to the employees, a woman dressed all in black, from another era, walks back and forth in the hallways. Others say her face is reflected in the mirrors, weeping, perhaps in repentance. Hearing cries and screams in the courtyards, as well as seeing apparitions, is common in the house of the woman from Zacatecas. This is why it's part of the legends of Querétaro , a must-see for anyone interested.