According to the legend...
La Siguanaba was a Pipil woman named Sihuehet-Nahuat for ‘beautiful woman.’ Sihuehet had an affair with a son of the god Tlaloc, resulting in an unwanted pregnancy. Sihuehet became a neglectful mother that was more interested in caring for her lover than her son. Consequently, Tlaloc cursed her by transforming her once-beautiful face into a putrefied horse-skull. Tlaloc renamed her Sihuanaba-Nahuat, for ‘horrendous woman,’ and forced her to roam around rivers and the countryside haunting unfaithful men and looking for her son.
Rumours of La Siguanaba’s existence and hauntings exist to this day.
At first sight, she appears to be a mesmerizing woman with long dark hair, pale skin, and a slender body. But, upon closer inspection, she reveals her true self, a frighteningly ugly monstrosity. The fright caused by her appearance can lead to insanity and sometimes death. Though the name of this spirit varies slightly in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, her appearance and actions remain unchanged.