La Llonona-The Weeping Woman

This is a story that people been telling for hundreds of years.Long years ago in a humble little village there lived a fine looking girl named Maria some say she was the most beautiful girl in the world! And because she was so beautiful, Maria thought she was better than anyone else. as Maria grew older, her beauty increased and her pride  in her beauty grew too when she was a young woman, she would not look at the men from her village.they weren't good enough for her! Maria would say "when I marry, "I will marry the most handsome man I  the world."one day into Maria's village rode a man who seemed to be just the one she had been talking about.

he was a dashing young man ranchero, the son of a wealthy rancher from the southern plains.in fact he owned a horse, and it grew.he was handsome! And he could play the guitar and sing beautifully.maria made up her mind-that was the man for her! She knew just the tricks to win his attention.If the ranchero spoke to her when they met on the pathway, she would turn her head away.when he came to her house in the evening to play his guitar, she would not even come close to the window.she refused all his costly gifts.the young man fell for her tricks.he said to himself "that naughty girl". I know I can win her heart.he swear to himself that he will marry her.

 And so everything turned out as Maria planned before long, she and the ranchero became engaged and soon they were married. at first things were fine. They had two children and they seemed to be a happy family together. But after a few years, the ranchero went back to the wild life of prairies.

He would leave town and be gone for months at a time. and when he returned home, it was only to  visit his children. He seemed to care nothing for the beautiful Maria.

He even talked of setting Maria aside and marrying a women of his own wealthy class.as proud as Maria was, of course she became very angry with the ranchero.

 She also began to feel anger toward her children, because he paid attention to them, but just ignored her.one evening,as Maria was strolling with her two children on the shady pathway near the river, the ranchero came by in a carriage.an elegant lady sat on the seat beside him.

 He stopped and spoke to his children, but he did not look at Maria. He whipped the horses on up the street. When she saw that, a terrible rage filled Maria, and it all turned against her children. And although it is sad to tell, that in her anger Maria, seized her two children and threw them into the river! But as they disappeared down the stream, she realized what she had done! She ran down the bank of the river, reaching out her arms to them. But they were long gone.

 The next morning, a traveler brought word to the bank of the river.

 That is where they found Maria, and they laid her to rest were she had fallen. But the first night Maria was in the grave, the villagers heard the sound of a crying down by the river.it was not the wind, it was La Llorona crying. "where are my children? "and  they saw a woman walking up and down the bank of the river, dressed in a long white robe, the way they had dressed Maria for burial.

 On many dark nights they see her walk the river bank crying for her children. And so they called her La Llorona, "The weeping woman." and by that name she is known to this day.

 Children are warned not to go out in the dark, for La Llorona might snatch them and never return them. 

    

 

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