MAGICAL ECUADOR THROUGH LEGENDS

  Hello everyone! The Panecillo is located at the downtown, and is a well-known place. However, do you know the story behind to this place? I want to tell you… My grandma’ loved this story, and when I was a little girl she told me the story again and again. I really love this legend! Once upon a time, there was a woman who took her cow to the Panecillo every day, so that it could eat. One day, while the woman was gathering some firewood, she left her cow near the pot and when she returned she did not found it. The woman was very scared, she began to look for it at the surroundings. After some hours that she did not found the cow, the woman decided to enter to the pot and when she arrived there, the woman found a really big and awesome palace. She did not believe it, but there was a beautiful princess who asked her: -           Which is the reason for your visit? -         I have lost my cow!...

Hi, dear readers! In this post, I am going to tell you a new legend that caught my attention and also, I am scared stiff. My grandpa last weekend told me that it happens in “El Tejar” neighborhood, specifically in the cemetery. Have you been there once? Juan is the principal character of this story; he was a really vain boy and he liked wearing his high school uniform in excellent conditions. However, it was the time of final tests and his boots were really old, so he was worried about that and he wanted to buy new ones. His friends told him that he could sell his coat and with that money he could be able to buy a new pair of boots. At the beginning, Juan did not want to do that, but after a few minutes that they were talking, his friends accepted to lend him the money but with an only condition. A few days ago, Juan’s ex-girlfriend committed suicide because, Juan was unfaithful in their relationship. So, the friends’ condition was Juan should go that night to his ex-girlfriend’s gra...

Hello, again! Have you ever been at Santo Domingo’s church or neighborhood? It is located in Quito’s downtown, and this week I want to tell you about a mysterious legend there. T he story said that once for a long period of time, a lady walked through the streets at that place between midnight until 3 AM in the morning. A woman said that one night after her work, she wanted to know the hour because, she forgot her watch, and saw far away in one corner of the street, there was a lady with an elegant black dress and a big coat so, she went straight to ask the hour to that woman. Thus, she realized that lady did not have face because, she was only a skeleton. The woman run away with a lot of screams, she only wanted to come back to her house, and to not die before she did it. After some time, one man saw the same lady, when he was walked at midnight in Santo Domingo’s neighborhood. For that reason, this mysterious lady was called “The widow of Santo Domingo”, after her constant pu...

  Hi again! Hope that you are enjoying these legends! In this time, I was looked up some interesting legends for you, and I found a good one. It happens in a really known neighborhood in the downtown of Quito. This place is “La Loma Grande” in an amazing and interesting house, look at it… Have you ever seen it? Many years ago, there was a beautiful lady, who drove men crazy with her physical appearance. According to some neighbors of that place, her grandparents said that the lady went out on Friday nights to have fun in the bars of the downtown. Everyone called her “the countess” because of her beautiful appearance. However, the terrifying thing about the story is that each man who began to hang out with the lady, mysteriously disappeared. The legend said that the men went to her home and were killed by her. Suddenly, the woman left that neighborhood and the new residents of the “Villa Encantada”, which is the name that people put to the enormous house, found several b...

  Hi, everyone! This week, I have to tell you an unbelievable legend. Recently, I was talking with my uncles and some of them are taxi drivers. They told me a story that happens at the north of the city, and most of them confirmed that the legend is real. I don’t know if I have to believe in what they told me so, please after read this post tell me, what do you think? T hey say that around 10 years ago in Quito, a famous call at midnight was happening to many taxi drivers. A beautiful lady calls a taxi driver in the historic center towards “El Batán” cemetery. The taxi driver agrees and follows her route normally until reaching her destination. Once at the place, the taxi driver asks for his payment but the lady does not listen him and gets out of the car. The driver follows her, but she continues walking towards the cemetery walls. Finally, the taxi driver reaches the lady and tries to grab her arm however, she begins to rise and crosses the walls towards the cemetery. I’ve ne...

  Hi, dear readers! Last weekend, some friends told me an interesting, fantastic and really mysterious legend, so I want to share it with you. That does not happen in Quito city, but it is located at Sangolguí in Valle de los Chillos, next to the capital city. Have you ever heard or been in “El Castillo del Gringo Loco”? A t this place, it is said that more than 20 years ago there was a “gringo”, one of those militaries who survived the Second World War and he decided to settle in a calm place, where he could forget about the bombings and violence of his life as a soldier. The ex-military man moved to Sangolguí to a big place surrounded by forests, birds and a lot of vegetation. He began to build his house, a not very common one because, it is full of entrances and exits of dark tunnels. That makes the place a really mysterious one, and some people tells several horror stories of the haunted place. According to the story, this man and his wife were waiting for a baby, but t...

Hi, everyone! For this post, I want to start with two questions: Do you believe in paranormal events? Or Have you ever hear something related to the devil? Well, in this legend you will know a mysterious story about a little demon that happens in Quito city, but it does not exist a specific area. S ome people says that “Guagua Auca” is a demon  created by a child’s soul who was born and died without being baptized. It is he who terrifies drunkards on the roads late at night. What likes to do it is cry with an incessant and noisy shriek that makes anyone desperate. The drunken men unknowingly search for the source of the squeal until they find what seems to be a little baby wrapped in a blanket. After that, drunkards discover how the appearance of the supposed child changes and they realize that they were actually carrying a demon. Some drunk men said that after that day, it was the final of his drunkenness. However, most people say that many drunkards have been found de...

  Hi, dear readers! In this occasion, we are going to a famous church in Quito downtown, which is “La Compañía de Jesús in Garcia Moreno street, did you remember the Cornejo-Cevallos House’s legend? Well, this church is in front of that place. So, let’s continue reading! M any years ago, Manuel Chili was the little famous indigenous, who worked at “La Compañía de Jesús” church, and suddenly he became an excellent artist.  The Jesuits decided to take him in charge, gave him food and a little money for his work because they did not have the recognition of true artists. Furthermore, they also offered him special training in art, sculpture and painting. Manuel was recognized with a pseudonym that in Kichwa it means “wooden face”, thus was born the great Caspicara! The priests could not believe that Manuel had been recognized as that great artist. Manuel worked twelve hours a day on scaffolding and dangerous edges. This created a strange phobia of heights. They say that b...

  Quito downtown has a lot of mysteries, it saves many secrets that if someone does not tell them, people will not know anything. I really like legends, and they are better when happened in a place where you have been before. In this occasion, the legend happens in the “Plaza Grande”, exactly in the corner of the Catedral church where is located its big cross. Did you know why is a big cross there? Well, this post is about that legend… This story happened many years ago, a block and a half of the Catedral church where was a really known place “La Fonda del Duende Negro”, the reason of its name was because of the appearance, it was a little house with two windows in each side, and at nights the lights shone intensively, so it was like a goblin’s head. Every night three men came to the place, wearing a white suit with a really large black coat, and a big black hat too. People said that they belonged to rich families because of their expensive clothes and the vocabulary that they...

  "At the heart of good history is good storytelling" -Stephen Schiff F or this post, we will be located in the center of Quito, in front of “La Compañía” church, there is the Cornejo-Cevallos house on the corner of García Moreno and Sucre streets. Many years ago, the house was sold to José Cornejo Ribera and his wife Dolores Cevallos Acosta who hired an architect to build the current one, hence the name. If you have been there, you will know probably why this house is so popular... To be exact, the main reason is because one of the "putis" which is a kind of cherubim in Greek mythology, related to the goddess Aphrodite. That adorn the facade, located over the last window, which is popularly known as "little Mandingo angel", it shows an upright virile member that has caused a series of stories. I am going to tell you three of them: 1. When they rebuilt the facade of the house, which was very deteriorated, they were liberal against the way of acting o...

  I would like to start saying that hope you enjoy these legends! Each place has a story; someone told me one day that places keep memories because people forget them. T he legend that you are going to read happens in San Francisco’s monastery which is located in Quito downtown. Do you believe in paranormal events? Because this legend has an intriguing mystery related on a skull. “The skull of Franciscan monastery” – “La Calavera del Convento de San Francisco”. As far as we know, many monasteries and churches in our country had the tradition of burying their monks in the underground of each place. So, keep in mind this fact…! This legend happened one night a lot of years ago, it was really cold, because it was winter. It all began when Fray Carlos and Miguel got back to the Franciscan monastery. Nobody knew where they had come and no one will know because after that night they were not be able to say anything to anybody. It was a really red letter day. To make thi...

Hi, again ... This time, I have to talk about “La Esquina de las Almas” that was my promise the last post. So, I don't know if you hear about this story but in my opinion it is strange and paranormal for some people. It happens among the known street which called “La Calle de las 7 crosses” - “7 cross street”. To make this story short we need to know that this street connects the main touristic place “El Panecillo” with “La Colina de San Juan” and in all the places we can find a cross, which saves a story and a lot of memories. In the 16th century it was called Seven Crosses because the convents and Catholic churches that were located on it. And over the years raised several stone crosses that served as altars popular during the Corpus Christi celebrations each year. But these were also put there so that the Spanish faithful and indigenous people, do not forget your faith since there were many bars in the street. Then, with ...