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7. The Weeping Woman
La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) is a popular legend in the Spanish-speaking cultures of the southwestern part of the US and Mexico. The story tells of a beautiful woman named Maria who suffered from depression and drowned her two young children by tossing them into a flowing river. Maria became haunted by the memory of her kids and ultimately crumbled in inconsolable grief. She would not eat, and walked alone on the riverfront in her torn white gown searching for her boys. She cried endlessly, with periodic fits of screaming and wailing. After weeks of suffering, she ended her life on the banks of a riverbed. When Maria reached the gates of heaven, she was asked, “Where are your children?” and she replied, “I don’t know, my Lord.” She was not permitted to enter heaven until she found her boys, banished to an eternity of wandering the Earth’s rivers, searching in vain for her drowned offspring.

Do Not Enter
Over the centuries, the ghost of La Llorona has become angered. In certain areas of the world she is known to hunt and kidnap wandering children or teenagers that disobey their parents, grabbing the kids by the leg and tugging them into a watery grave. After darkness falls, Maria’s restless spirit walks the banks of multiple bodies of water in the southwest portion of the Americas. In the area surrounding the Santa Fe River in New Mexico, her loud cries have become a curse of the night. The Weeping Woman is a beautiful ghost. She is tall and thin with long flowing hair. Reports have claimed that she can be seen drifting between trees along the shorelines or floating in the watery current. If you are marked by the desire of La Llorona, an untimely and mysterious drowning could be in your future. Some believe that those who can hear her cries are going to die.
In Mexico, Central and South America, the tale of La Llorona is represented as a cultural symbol that models negative behavior, ultimately looking to prescribe an idealized version of motherhood. The ghost of La Llorona has been reported in many locations throughout North and South America, including a creek between Mora and Guadalupita, New Mexico, and as far north as the Yellowstone River. However, the majority of the reports of the Weeping Woman surround the Santa Fe River. For example, a tall wailing spirit has been repeatedly viewed in the PERA Building near the river. The PERA structure was built on land that once held an old Spanish-Indian graveyard. If you are looking for a good Halloween scare, go explore the Santa Fe PERA structure on a dark evening.