La Loba
La Loba (The Wolf Woman) is a figure from New Mexican and Chicano folklore who protects the wild places and animals of the Southwestern desert. Older than any human, she is the guardian of wolf and coyote spirits. It is said that when a wolf dies, La Loba collects its bones and sings over them until the animal is reborn. She is described as an ancient woman who lives in a cave in the mountains, surrounded by the skulls and bones of animals. Children who get lost in the desert are said to be guided home by her, and hunters who kill for sport rather than need find their guns mysteriously jammed.