La Carreta Chillona: The Weeping Wagon of El Salvador
La Carreta Chillona: The Weeping Wagon of El Salvador.
La Carreta Chillona is a ghostly unmanned wagon that drives through the streets at night, collecting the soul of anyone who lays eyes upon it.
The Legend of La Carreta Chillona
At night, in certain towns in El Salvador, a cart can be heard squeaking as it moves along the streets. It is named after the creepy, high-pitched sound it emits when it crawls.
Others claim to hear the rattling of chains and bones as the cart approaches, and say that the ground shakes as it passes by. There are even rumors that those who dare to look at the cart will meet a mysterious and deadly fate.
The cart, known as "La Carreta Chillona," is said to carry human skulls and move without the guidance of oxen. It appears to be propelled forward by some unseen force, leading some to believe it is a spirit collecting the souls of the deceased and guiding them into the afterlife. Others claim that a headless ghost is behind the wheel.
Inside the cart, many believe there are bones and corpses of those who died without their heads. At midnight, these spirits are said to emerge from cemeteries and wander the streets with the souls of the suffering, calling out the names of deceitful and hypocritical people as a warning of their own potential fate.
The Origin of The Legend of La Carreta Chillona
Several years after the arrival of the Spaniards, a man named Terencio Pérez made his way to El Salvador. He had been educated by Fray Antolin Oviedo, a priest who taught him about the country. When the priest passed away, Terencio relocated to a different town where he met a friend of the priest - an apothecary who had a pharmacy where he learned how to treat various illnesses.
Terencio met a Native man named Juan Tepa, and they eventually became good friends. Unfortunately, Terencio's intention from the beginning was to learn about the native secrets of plant-based medicine and use the knowledge to benefit himself. To further enhance his reputation, he even changed his name to Terencio Pérez of the Trocadera.
The Spanish took advantage of Terencio's knowledge, using it to become wealthy by curing diseases among the Spanish population. Unbeknownst to the Spanish, all of Terencio's knowledge came from the Natives.
When a plague broke out among the Native population, Terencio refused to help because they could not afford to pay him. He also did not want the Spanish to know about his friendship with the Natives.
Terencio was visited one night by the ghost of Fray Antolín. Fray told terencio that he had no place in this world due to the numerous deaths caused by his guilt and the fact that he had not used his knowledge to aid people.
The ghost instructed Terencio to construct a cart out of the bones of those who had perished as a result of his actions. The ghost informed him that he would become a restless spirit, forever searching for a cemetery to bury those whom he had failed to help.
Terencio vanished and was never seen again, but sometimes at night you can hear his creaky cart making its way through the streets of El Salvador.
One Woman’s Experience with La Carreta Chillona
A middle-aged woman, hailing from El Salvador,claims the story of La Carreta Chillona was passed down to her by her mother, who likely shared it, along with other tales, as a means of discouraging her from venturing out into the streets during the nighttime.
When interviewed by USC Digital Folklore Archives she said that on certain nights, she and her sister thought they heard the wagon passing through their town. She even knew people who claimed to have seen the wagon with their own eyes.
Have you every seen La Carreta Chillona? Let us know in the comments.
If you enjoyed learning about La Carreta Chillona you might also be interested in the story of Jenny Greenteeth or the legend of El Sibon.
