The most popular legends of Guayaquil folklore

The port city holds curious legends, even for a time one of these was used to argue the origin of the city and its name, but this story was rejected by historians. It’s about the legend of chief Guayas and princess Quilof which there are even monuments in the city.

Actually, the name Guayaquil is given to the city due to the time-tested fact that there was a cacique called a river and a city Guayaquile, recorded in more than one ancient document. But in the collective imagination there will always be mythical couple symbolizing the bravery and bravery of the Huancavilca peoplewhose tribute is on Pedro Menéndez Gilbert Avenue, at the beginning of the National Unity Bridge, which crosses the Guayas River.

This fantastic story of the cacique and the princess is not the only one, but one of the most interesting. Here are some of these legends passed down from generation to generation, for the enjoyment of the locals.

Guayas and Quil

This legend takes place at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards in the coastal area inhabited by Huancavilcas and Chonos. The story is about the sacrifice of love and freedom of the pair of native warriors of the Huancavilca tribe when threatened by intruders.

The legend indicates that Captain Sebastián de Benalcázar, a real character, had many strong confrontations with the Huancavilcas to try the new city of Santiago de Guayaquil.

According to the story, the chief Guayas and his wife Quil were skilled warriors and led the indigenous resistance. However, they were later captured. Because of this, the cacique offered the Spaniards many hidden treasures in exchange for his freedom and that of the princess.

To complete the transaction, the pair of warriors were taken to Cerrito Verde, today’s Santa Ana Hill. Once there, Guayas asked for a knife to supposedly move one of the stones covering the entrance to the treasury.

The real purpose of the cacique, however, was something else. He took the dagger to his lover’s heart, causing her to die, and then he set himself on fire, would rather die than submit to the Spanish invaders.

The story indicates that the bodies of the cacique and the princess fell into the Guayas Riverand hence the origin of the city.

The covered lady

The bohemian life that some men led in the 18th century cost them dearly. The presence of the Covered Lady was the terror of many between midnight and four in the morning at that early time in the history of life in Buenos Aires. There is no certainty about its origin, the only thing that stands out is that it appeared a few meters and by chance before the men who, fascinated by its beauty, followed it.

She was a woman of slender figure and captivating forms, with a seductive and elegant gait, surrounded by a pleasant aroma that she left behind and her face covered by a veil which, despite the enigma it represented, revealed great beauty. Not a single man stopped her, they all looked hypnotized; the distance between her and the man always remained the same: no one strayed, no matter how cowardly, and no one came closer than a certain point.

After a while the woman stopped and said to the man: – You see me as I am… If you want to follow me now, continue… Finally the woman took off her veil and her beautiful face disappeared. to make way for a hideous skull that exuded a nauseating stench…

This situation shocked his ‘fans’; some died of fear, others of the noxious smell. The few who survived were labeled as frauds by popular culture.

After the impact, the Covered Lady continued on her way until she disappeared in the streets of Buenos Aires.

the canoe

The montubios of the provinces of Guayas and Los Ríos still assure that there is a mysterious canoe that crosses the known rivers and estuaries with a light on the bow.

The eldest members of the family, in gatherings or “conversas” that lasted for a long time next to a lamp or waving their mocora hammocks, told this story in different versions.

The most common says that an adulteress, not knowing how to hide the fruit of his love affair, he strangled the child and put the body in a canoe. After rowing much and very desperately, she threw the creature’s body into the Babahoyo River.

Although he repented and wanted to make amends for his crime, the attempt was futile, as his madness grew worse and God condemned her to search forever for the fruit of her entrails.

Since then, the boat has been moving at the mercy of the current and those who approach it in fear find no person or object.

Despite the time that has passed, there are nocturnal travelers, fishermen, etc. who claim to have seen the canoe swiftly crossing rivers and estuaries of the montubio and shows the pale light of the lamp he carries on the prow.

The sad princess of Santa Ana

This legend speaks of the supposed name of Cerro Santa Ana. According to the story, a king who had great wealth lived in his fortresses.

This monarch had a daughter who fell ill and there was no cure for her illness. One fine day a magician appeared before the king and offered to heal his daughter, but in return this ruler had to give up all his fortune.

The king rejected the wizard’s proposal, so the latter enchanted all the monarch’s landsand thus condemned his people to despair.

Years later the Spaniards arrived and climbed one of the hills in that area. One of the visitors found a beautiful princess there, who offered him two options: first, a beautiful city full of gold, and second, to be a devoted and faithful wife to him.

The Spaniard chose the city of gold, for whose decision the princess decided to put a curse on him. However, the man began to pray to the Virgin of Santa Ana to save him and the Virgin saved him.

From this legend, the name is said to derive from the hill where the city of Santiago de Guayaquil settled permanently, the Cerrito Verde, which was later called Cerro Santa Ana.

Legend of Posorja

The legend of Posorja was very popular at the time of the colony and at the beginning of republican life.. It says that the seer suddenly appeared off the coast where the rural parish of Guayaquil is currently located.which bears the same name.

According to the stories, the soothsayer arrived in a small wooden ship lighter than the raft when she was just a little girl with white features. She was wrapped in fine cotton blankets with intricate hieroglyphics; He also wore on his chest, as a pendant, a small and finely carved snail.

Adopted by the Huancavilcas, the minor grew up to be a woman. It was then that she began to predict the most tragic events of the city that adopted her and gained fame as a great visionary throughout the region.

For this reason, the Incas Huayna Cápac and later Atahualpa came to his village, to whom he predicted the tragic consequences of their rule.

When Huayna Cápac came to visit her, she saw in Posorja an envoy of the god Pachacámac and asked her to predict her future.seeing in the eyes of the soothsayer his death in Tomebamba and the fratricidal war that would be waged between Atahualpa and Huáscar.

Later, when Atahualpa asked the soothsayer to reveal his future, she predicted his fate. victory over Huáscar and the short time his victory would lastand he also told him that some white and bearded men would arrive and kill the Inca sovereign after capturing him at Cajamarca.

When Posorja ended this revelation, he declared that his mission on earth was over, as that had been his last predestination. After this, the pythoness went to the sea, blew her shell and a wave took her away. (F)