Long ago, there was a beautiful girl named Laura. She was considered the most beautiful girl in her village. With age, Laura became more beautiful and her grew. She thought she was better than everyone else and that there was no man good enough for her.
Laura’s dream was to marry the most handsome man in the village. One day, she found the one she had been looking for: Jose. Jose was good-looking, and from a wealthy family. He was an excellent singer and he could play the guitar— the perfect match for Laura.
Laura knew how to gain Jose’s attention. If Jose tried to talk with her during parties, she would turn her head away. Then, when he went to visit Laura and serenade her, she did not come to the window and she ignored all the expensive gifts Jose gave to her. Jose’s desire for marrying Laura became stronger and stronger.
Laura achieved her goal and she married Jose. At the beginning, their relationship was good. Over time they had two children and become a well-known family. However, after few years, Jose began to lose interest in Laura and began to travel. He would leave his family for days and even months. When he returned home, he only spent time with his children. In the town, people began to talk about Laura’s luck and how Jose could replace her with young woman.
Laura became angry with Jose and her children. She could not believe that her husband would leave her. She was jealous of her children stealing Jose’s attention.
One night, Laura was walking with her children near the river when she saw her husband with a young woman in a carriage. Jose stopped, called his children, then left. In a moment of rage, Laura took her children and threw them into the river. After realizing what she did, Laura took her own life.
The next day, the people from the village found Laura near the river, but they did not find the bodies of the children. The people buried Laura’s body in a grave they dug for her. People say that each year, you can see a woman with a white dress near the river crying, “Where are my children?” This is Laura’s soul that could not rest in peace. Over time, people began to call the ghost “La Llorona.”
This story has been told to children for generations. They are warned not go out on the day of Laura’s death, because La Llorona might appear and take them.