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.

“The story of La Llorona is timeless. It has such significance to families in our community,” Vásquez says. “And I think what is so empowering and what writers and storytellers of La Llorona have found is that her story can be used to speak to our present moments and create a vision where we are empowered, where women are empowered, and where we see ourselves as agents of change.”

Irene Vásquez (right) and her daughter, both dressed as La Llorona, at a fashion photo shoot at the University of New Mexico.

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

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Encounter Culture, a production of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, is 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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