La Lechuza

Who doesn't love a good shape-shifter tale for Halloween month? Nobody reading this blog, that's for sure!

The story of La Lechuza is another Texas/Mexico legend along the lines of La Llorona, in that it's used to scare kids into behaving themselves when their parents become exasperated by their antics. But is it only a cautionary tale? Hmm...

La Lechuza is reputed to have lived quietly and alone in a small town in Northern Mexico, and you know how suspicious are women who live quietly and on their own, right? It seems they're always being accused of something nefarious, and in this instance, a little boy mysteriously disappeared.

So of course it had to be the eccentric lady at the edge of town who took the child. And of course she was accused of being a witch. And of course, she supposedly made a deal with the devil to come back (I assume she was executed for being a witch) as a shape-shifting owl-woman.

Why an owl-woman, you ask. Because. Just. Because.

Zip it, kiddo. It's a legend. Just roll with it.

From then on, if kids were out too late or raising a ruckus, parents would tell them that La Lechuza would swoop down and mess up their hair, scratch them with her talons, and if she was big enough that night, would carry you away and use you for whatever dastardly plan she had in mind.

But La Lechuza may have morphed into something else over the years, while also maintaining her owl-shape. According to residents of Robstown, Texas, a huge bird started raising hell in the 1970s. This excerpt is from the Texas Standard:

‘El Pajaro Gigante’ terrorizes South Texas

In the small rural town of Robstown, right outside of Corpus Christi, the legend of La Lechuza is tied with that of another cryptid – one indelibly linked to the community’s culture: the Big Bird of Robstown, or “El Pajaro Gigante de Robé.”

In 1975, people walking along the county roads at night said they saw a huge, monster bird swooping down at them. Some told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, which reported on the claims, that the creature was 2 feet tall, while others swore it reached 6 feet. But when it was reported the creature had the face of a human, then connections began to be made to the Lechuza legend.

Soon, sightings were reported in nearby Banquete and Alice. It became something of a wave of hysteria, but one that retained a sense of humor as Robstonians began to embrace their cryptid.

Of course, multiple sightings of creepy avians are the stuff of modern legends, and songs were written to immortalize that period of time. As it says in the Texas Standard, Tejano musician Wally Gonzales wrote and recorded LA LEYENDA DEL PAJARO GIGANTE, and another fun Mexican tune about the giant bird was written by Los Campeones De Raúl Ruiz - El Pajaro Gigante De Robe.

Of course, one of my favorite tunes about La Lechuza was written and performed by Tremoloco, some long-time friends of mine. Click on the pic below to head over to their website and support real, live musicians and stick it to the AI crap that's trying to put such talent out of business. 

And above all, behave yourselves, or La Lechuza will get you!