Mind on Fire Books

Hello friends,

Welcome to another behind-the-scenes look at the bloody, beating heart of my dark fiction collection, Folklore and Flesh. Today, we are descending into the Mayan underworld to talk about one of Central America’s most terrifying legends: La Siguanaba.

If you grew up hearing the campfire tales, you know her well. She is a supernatural harbinger of doom who glides through the darkness, targeting lone men and local drunks. From a distance, she is a mesmerizing lure:

“Her long jet-black hair cascaded down to the back of her knees, overlapping her long, airy, white gown.”

But the moment a man gets close enough to touch her, the captivating façade shatters. She transforms into a hideous, horse-faced terror. Men who attempt to seduce her are driven completely, violently mad.

Writing My Version of Latin American Folklore

When I sat down to write my version of this legend for the collection, I didn’t want to just write a standard monster-in-the-woods story. I wanted to dig into the blood-soaked soil of history to find where the real monsters hide.

So, I took her back to the early 1520s—right into the brutal, horrific reality of the Spanish invasion.

My story follows the real-life historical figure General Pedro De Alvarado, a commander under Hernan Cortez. Blinded by arrogance and a hunger for ancient secrets, Alvarado leads a band of bloodthirsty conquistadors deep into the jungle in search of Xibalba—the Mayan underworld.

What they find instead is a nightmare designed to punish them for their atrocities.

The Siguanaba Origins Story

By framing the myth during the conquest, I was able to hold a mirror up to the horrifying violence committed against the local indigenous women, and the deliberate demonization of native spiritual traditions by the invading forces. I wanted the supernatural elements to feel like a direct, visceral retaliation to human cruelty:

“The woman bursts into a loud obnoxious laugh echoing through the rock formations… The cackling quickly morphs into a loud neighing-like manic and the conquistadors are yelling in disgust.”

In my story, La Siguanaba is not just a cautionary tale to scare men away from promiscuity. She is the wrath of the Gods made flesh. She forces Alvarado to witness the madness he brought to these shores, leading to his own chilling realization:

“It was then that I realized that we are the actual savages in these lands, padre.”

If you love history tangled up with visceral, unflinching dark fiction, this story was written specifically for you.

Are you ready to face the darkness of Xibalba?

Click here to grab your copy of Folklore and Flesh today and read “The Siguanaba” now.

Thank you for your incredible support, and for walking these dark, overgrown paths with me.

Stay spooky,

Willy Martinez Author of Folklore and Flesh Mind on Fire Books

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Please visit our blog at The Ritual for related research on the Rhetoric of Fear.