The story of La Lechuza usually goes something like this: A man is walking home alone, late at night. Maybe he鈥檚 been drinking. All of a sudden, he hears wings rustling 鈥� and maybe he sees glowing eyes staring at him from a tree.
If you grew up in South Texas or northern Mexico, there鈥檚 a good chance you鈥檝e heard of this legend.
The roots of the legend
There are many versions of La Lechuza 鈥� but in all of them, she begins as a woman who has been wronged, according to Rachel Gonz谩lez-Martin, a professor of Mexican American studies at UT Austin who specializes in folklore.
鈥淟a Lechuza lived at the far end of a small town, which people normally classify as somewhere in the desert area in northern Mexico. She lived alone, and that made townspeople suspicious of her,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ne season, a small child, a little boy, goes missing from the town, and no one is able to find him.鈥�
In this version of the story, the woman is accused of being a witch responsible for the boy鈥檚 disappearance. For revenge, she makes a deal with the devil to come back as a shape-shifting owl woman.
Ayden Castellanos, who grew up reading about La Lechuza, now hosts the .
鈥淭he story that I heard growing up was a cautionary tale. It was maybe like a form of or a method to discipline kids, because I was told that if I was out late when I shouldn鈥檛 be, or if I was out causing trouble, that the Lechuza would find me. And she would swoop down and she would mess up my hair, scratch me up with her talons,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd if she was large enough, that she could lift me away and take me and do with me whatever evil plan she had in mind.鈥�
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Castellanos said he never saw La Lechuza 鈥� but he did hear something once, as a kid.
鈥淚 was up late at night, on a school night when I should have been asleep. I was watching TV,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here were dogs outside in the neighborhood 鈥� I was like, 鈥極h, they鈥檙e chasing an animal that鈥檚 going to get under the house or whatever.鈥� It鈥檚 like, it鈥檚 fine. I鈥檒l leave it alone.鈥�
But then one of the dogs yelped, Castellanos said, and he decided to see what was happening.
鈥淎s I鈥檓 going to pull the blind down, I hear 鈥榳hooo. whoooo鈥欌�� what freaked me out is I didn鈥檛 immediately think, 鈥極h, that鈥檚 an owl, that鈥檚 a bird.鈥� It sounded like a person imitating a bird,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see it because immediately I rolled back over, shut the TV off, and I closed my eyes and I said, I鈥檓 just going to try and sleep through this. I don鈥檛 want to know what鈥檚 out there after all.鈥�
鈥楨l Pajaro Gigante鈥� terrorizes South Texas
In the small rural town of Robstown, right outside of Corpus Christi, the legend of La Lechuza is tied with that of another cryptid 鈥� one indelibly linked to the community鈥檚 culture: the Big Bird of Robstown, or 鈥淓l Pajaro Gigante de Rob茅.鈥�
In 1975, people walking along the county roads at night said they saw a huge, monster bird swooping down at them. Some told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, which , that the creature was 2 feet tall, while others swore it reached 6 feet. But when it was reported the creature had the face of a human, then connections began to be made to the Lechuza legend.
Soon, sightings were reported in nearby Banquete and Alice. It became something of a wave of hysteria, but one that retained a sense of humor as Robstonians began to embrace their cryptid.
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The magazine 鈥淟a Lomita,鈥� which was part of the rising Chicano movement in the area, , ranging from it being conjured up to scare people away from the new Familias Unidas organization, to it being a form of justice finally arriving to the town.
The bird was also made into an adversary in an issue of the comic book 鈥淩elampago.鈥� Created by Margarito Garza, who later served as a Corpus Christi district judge, the comic featured a protagonist credited as the first Mexican American superhero.
Musical groups were caught up in the moment, as well. Tejano musician Wally Gonzalez seen all throughout South Texas, but perhaps the most famous song that Robstonians cite even today comes from a group called Los Campeones de Ra煤l Ruiz, titled 鈥�.鈥�
While the legend has retained a humorous status in Robstown culture to this day, there are aspects to the story that speak to the deeper elements of the Lechuza folk tale. 鈥淓l Pajaro Gigante鈥� has been described by the skeptical to have been conjured up by those walking home after a night of drinking 鈥� a motif Gonz谩lez-Martin says is a particular aspect to the Lechuza legend.
The legend as a form of retribution
In a lot of the modern stories or sightings, La Lechuza goes after a particular kind of victim: Specifically, she 鈥渢errorizes men,鈥� according to Gonz谩lez-Martin.
鈥淪he particularly terrorizes men who find themselves walking alone, maybe drunk on a weekend night, or maybe drunk on a work night, coming home late, possibly coming home drunk,鈥� she said. 鈥淢en that might be known to be into sort of lascivious behavior, people that are abusive, unkind, cruel people that might cheat on their spouses or even abuse their children or partners.鈥�
This aspect of the Lechuza legend is what interests Gonz谩lez-Martin the most. On the one hand, she says this is a story that reinforces gender roles.
鈥淭he woman who becomes 鈥楲a Lechuza鈥� was someone that was living a life that in her community wasn鈥檛 typical,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd so in her nontypical-ness, she scared people.鈥�
But on the other hand, Gonz谩lez-Martin says the modern appearances of La Lechuza seem to serve women and girls who have been wronged.
鈥淭his story creates a kind of hope for women and girls in the sense that justice will be served even if it鈥檚 not through mainstream means,鈥� she said.
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Castellanos said he was drawn to La Lechuza for a slightly different reason.
鈥淚 am a queer person, and this idea of being othered because of people鈥檚 perceptions of you 鈥� to me, the idea of a witch who is so powerful that she could shapeshift was that鈥檚 really cool. Like, she can probably do some really cool stuff. Why is she innately evil? Why is that such a bad thing?鈥� he said. 鈥淎t the end of the day, you know that she has this power, because if that power is able to allegedly be used for evil or for bad, then it can also be used for good.鈥�
But perhaps if you鈥檝e been up to no good, you may need to be concerned about La Lechuza. And if that鈥檚 you, probably best to avoid country roads at night in South Texas. Just in case.
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