La Tulivieja

spirit · Panama · Mesoamerica

La Tulivieja is one of Panama's most famous legendary figures, a vengeful ghost transformed into a hideous creature. According to the legend, a beautiful young woman had a secret relationship that resulted in pregnancy. To hide her sin, she drowned her baby in a river. As punishment from God, she transformed into a monster with a face full of holes sprouting tangled hair, bat wings, chicken legs, and a distinctive tule hat. She eats carbon and ashes, leaving footprints near bonfires. Under a full moon she regains her original beauty and bathes in the river, but a loud noise reverts her to mons

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