La Llorona
Day 4
Hey! I am sorry that it has been a couple of days since I wrote. Monterrey has so much to see and do. I've been exploring the city at every opportunity. I went to a soccer game yesterday. It was the first time I had been to one. I watched the Rayados de Monterrey play. It was very exciting!
Day 10
Today is my last day in Monterrey. I am sad to be leaving but very happy to move on with my travels. Mexico City should be a lot of fun. My plane leaves in two hours so I need to tell everyone good-bye and get to the airport. Next time I write in here I will be in Mexico City.
Until
Then,
Ellie
Ellie
Day
11, Mexico City
Hey! I'm in Mexico City now. I got here last night but was very exhausted. Mexico City is really big. I'm glad I'm spending a couple of weeks here. The family that I am staying with seems nice. We all had dinner together when I arrived last night. There are a man, Victor, and woman, Cecilia, and their two children, Ana, who is the same age as me, and Crespin, a boy who is six. Victor's mother, Inez, also lives with them. There is so much to do in this city. Mexico City was originally the ancient Aztec city Tenochtitlan, which contributes to the amazing history of this place. I am going to try to visit a few places while I am out today. I know I am definitely going to the Museo de Arte Moderno (the Museum of Modern Art). They have paintings from all the great Mexican artists like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Ana is going to show me around the city.
Hey! I'm in Mexico City now. I got here last night but was very exhausted. Mexico City is really big. I'm glad I'm spending a couple of weeks here. The family that I am staying with seems nice. We all had dinner together when I arrived last night. There are a man, Victor, and woman, Cecilia, and their two children, Ana, who is the same age as me, and Crespin, a boy who is six. Victor's mother, Inez, also lives with them. There is so much to do in this city. Mexico City was originally the ancient Aztec city Tenochtitlan, which contributes to the amazing history of this place. I am going to try to visit a few places while I am out today. I know I am definitely going to the Museo de Arte Moderno (the Museum of Modern Art). They have paintings from all the great Mexican artists like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Ana is going to show me around the city.
Ellie
Day 13
I have had a few days to get to know the city and it is going great. The Museo de Arte Moderno was amazing. There were so many wonderful works of art. I love the family that I'm staying with. They are all really nice and have helped a lot. Ana has become like another sister to me already! Inez has been telling me stories about everything like growing up in the city, the history of Mexico City, and old folk tales told to her by her parents and grandparents. I have tried to write them all down but there are so many of them. Today Inez, Ana, and I are going to see the Monumento a los Niños Heroes. It's a monument to the young cadets who died defending the Chapultepec Castle during the Mexican American War in 1847. I learned about this monument in a class I took last semester. Inez offered to take me to see. I'm really excited!
I have had a few days to get to know the city and it is going great. The Museo de Arte Moderno was amazing. There were so many wonderful works of art. I love the family that I'm staying with. They are all really nice and have helped a lot. Ana has become like another sister to me already! Inez has been telling me stories about everything like growing up in the city, the history of Mexico City, and old folk tales told to her by her parents and grandparents. I have tried to write them all down but there are so many of them. Today Inez, Ana, and I are going to see the Monumento a los Niños Heroes. It's a monument to the young cadets who died defending the Chapultepec Castle during the Mexican American War in 1847. I learned about this monument in a class I took last semester. Inez offered to take me to see. I'm really excited!
Hasta Luego,
Ellie
Day 17
Today has been a very relaxed day. We didn't go explore the city today. We just stayed around the neighborhood. It provided some much needed rest. Most of the day we sat in the yard and watched Crespin and his friends play. Inez told a pretty interesting story today. We were watching the kids play and talking. Crespin and one of the neighbor's kids were arguing. Inez kept telling them to stop but like most little boys they didn't listen. After telling them to quit about fifteen times, she told them to come over to her. "Niños, I'm going to tell you a story about what happens to children who behave badly. Listen closely," Inez said once the boys were standing in front of her. The boys scooted closer to make sure they didn't miss a word. Inez began to tell the story...
La Llorona was a very beautiful woman. She had flowing black hair and a wonderful complexion. She had a few children but was not married. There was, however, a man whom she was very much in love with. The man did not like children and refused to marry a woman who had children. La Llorona came up with a plan. She would drown her children and then the man would marry her. The next day she drowned all of her children. She went to find the man she loved in order to tell him she no longer had children. He still refused to marry her. She was very upset that she had sacrificed her children for this man and he still would not marry her. She went straight home and drowned herself like she had her children. But La Llorona did not go away after death. The old legend says that she wanders the streets at night, crying for her children. Some say that if you speak to her, then you will meet the same fate as her children. Plus, she kidnaps children who run around the streets after dark. That's why adults make the children stay inside at night. But this is not the only time you should be afraid of her. Children who misbehave and disobey their elders are also paid a visit by La Llorona. She takes the children away with her where they are never seen again. Now, do you boys see how important it is to do as you are told?
"Yes, Abuela," the boys said as they cautiously wandered off to play again. Abuela means grandmother in Spanish.
The boys quit arguing and misbehaving after Inez told the story so I guess it works. Ana and I are going out tonight so I have to start getting ready. I might just meet a cute boy while I am out!
Ellie
Today has been a very relaxed day. We didn't go explore the city today. We just stayed around the neighborhood. It provided some much needed rest. Most of the day we sat in the yard and watched Crespin and his friends play. Inez told a pretty interesting story today. We were watching the kids play and talking. Crespin and one of the neighbor's kids were arguing. Inez kept telling them to stop but like most little boys they didn't listen. After telling them to quit about fifteen times, she told them to come over to her. "Niños, I'm going to tell you a story about what happens to children who behave badly. Listen closely," Inez said once the boys were standing in front of her. The boys scooted closer to make sure they didn't miss a word. Inez began to tell the story...
La Llorona was a very beautiful woman. She had flowing black hair and a wonderful complexion. She had a few children but was not married. There was, however, a man whom she was very much in love with. The man did not like children and refused to marry a woman who had children. La Llorona came up with a plan. She would drown her children and then the man would marry her. The next day she drowned all of her children. She went to find the man she loved in order to tell him she no longer had children. He still refused to marry her. She was very upset that she had sacrificed her children for this man and he still would not marry her. She went straight home and drowned herself like she had her children. But La Llorona did not go away after death. The old legend says that she wanders the streets at night, crying for her children. Some say that if you speak to her, then you will meet the same fate as her children. Plus, she kidnaps children who run around the streets after dark. That's why adults make the children stay inside at night. But this is not the only time you should be afraid of her. Children who misbehave and disobey their elders are also paid a visit by La Llorona. She takes the children away with her where they are never seen again. Now, do you boys see how important it is to do as you are told?
"Yes, Abuela," the boys said as they cautiously wandered off to play again. Abuela means grandmother in Spanish.
The boys quit arguing and misbehaving after Inez told the story so I guess it works. Ana and I are going out tonight so I have to start getting ready. I might just meet a cute boy while I am out!
Later,
Ellie
Ellie
Author's
Note: I chose to retell
the story of La Llorona (The Spanish word llorar means to cry or weep
so La Llorona means weeping woman). La Llorona is a legend known
throughout
Mexico and is used to shape behaviors of children and women. I
thought that this would be a good story for an elder family member to
tell to a child to get them to behave since this is a common use of the
story. I included days other than the day that Ellie heard the
story. This way makes it seem more like a journal to me than just an
individual story about La Llorona. I also use the other entries
in the journal as a way to provide background information about Mexico
City or whatever place Ellie is visiting. I had to cut out a few
details about Ellie's daily life in order to stay inside the word
limit. I chose to use the Spanish names for things like the
Museum of Modern Art and the monument to the child soldiers because I
felt that it made it easier to imagine that you were there, reading the
words in Spanish. I, myself actually did learn about the
Monumento a los Niños Heroes in one of my classes that I am
taking this semester so I used that for an idea in my storybook. In the
next story, Ellie will spend a few more days in Mexico before hopping
on a plane to Mérida, a city in the Yucatan. Here Ellie will
here a story about the origin of a popular Christmas flower.
Image Information
La Llorona. El Ático Del Pánico
El Monumento a Los Niños Heroes. Foros de Esmas
Bibliography
La Llorona. Wikipedia
Mexico City. Wikipedia.
Story: Legend of La Llorona
Book: Legends of the City of Mexico
Author: Thomas A. Janvier
Year Published: 1910
Web Source: Google Books
Image Information
La Llorona. El Ático Del Pánico
El Monumento a Los Niños Heroes. Foros de Esmas
Bibliography
La Llorona. Wikipedia
Mexico City. Wikipedia.
Story: Legend of La Llorona
Book: Legends of the City of Mexico
Author: Thomas A. Janvier
Year Published: 1910
Web Source: Google Books