Some stories persist for hundreds of years. La Llorona is one such story. Though there is much speculation about where exactly the original story began, it is clear that La Llorona as a legend and myth has staying power. What is it about the weeping woman that has captured our imaginations for centuries? And how has the story of La Llorona changed over time?

Irene Vásquez, chair of the Chicana and Chicano Studies at the University of New Mexico, has a lot to say about why this folk tale is so compelling and how the best stories take on a life of their own.

Mentioned In This Episode:

UNM Chicana and Chicano Studies

Southwest Hispanic Research Institute

Gloria Anzaldúa’s La Llorona story

Borderlands/La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldúa

COVID-19 version of La Llorona story as referenced in Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

Roots of La Llorona story

2019 La Llorona film set in Guatemala

The Curse of La Llorona film

“Woman Hollering Creek” La Llorona story by Sandra Cisneros

“La Lloroncita” song by Rómulo Castro y el Grupo Tuira

For further reading and more resources, view the full show notes.

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Encounter Culture is a production of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios.

Hosted by Emily Withnall, editor at El Palacio Magazine
Executive Producer: Daniel Zillmann
Technical Director & Post-Production Audio: Edwin R. Ruiz
Recording Engineer: Kabby at Kabby Sound Studios in Santa Fe
Editor & Production Manager: Alex Riegler
Associate Producer & Editor: Monica Braine (Assiniboine/Lakota)
Theme Music: D’Santi Nava

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