Spooky Apparitions of Costa Rica
Mysteries surround us from every angle and Costa Rica has her fair share of the unexplained- our recent blog talked about local UFO lore, sharing a number of sensational encounters. Today let’s look at the creatures and apparitions which are said to haunt Costa Rican jungles and countryside. This is not the kind of article you want to be reading on a rainy, moonless night – that’s for sure!
EL CHUPACABRA (a blood-drinking creature)
El Chupacabra, or the famous ‘goat sucker’, is a cryptid seen all over Latin America and even around the world. The name is derived from the creature’s habit of feeding on livestock blood, including that of goats – the animals are found dead, seemingly otherwise untouched and drained of their blood through two (but sometimes one or three) sharp holes drilled into their necks.
The short, 3-4 foot creature is said to be bulky, reptilian, with a grey-green scaly or leathery skin, sharp claws, huge eyes and a row of spines running across its back. The Chupacabra stands and moves is a way similar to a Kangaroo.
Initial attacks took place in Puerto Rico in 1975 when a wave of livestock deaths spread fear throughout most of the country. The attacks were initially blamed on satanic cults who were thought to drain livestock of all their blood, via small incisions, in the performance of satanic rituals but soon farmers and witnesses begun to describe the demonic creature. The sightings and attacks continued and really intensified into the mid-1990s when, in some instances, hundreds of animals were taken at a time – chickens, goats, dogs, ducks, and others perished at the hand of the Chupacabras, their precious blood drained form their bodies.
LA CEGUA (SEGUA / SIGUANABA) (a monster disguised as a beautiful woman)
Le Cegua is a shape-shifting spirit which haunts local roads and pathways, often appearing to drunkards or womanizers as a very pretty young woman with an oval face, large black eyes, long curly dark hair, and a beautiful mouth, with lips red as blood, with a divine voice that lulls like siren song, and a slender body with pronounced curves. But once she gains the trust of the men, she shape-shifts to reveal a rotting horse’s face.
Legend has it that, once upon a time, a young woman was excited to go to a party however was forbidden to do so by her mother. When she tried to hit her mother, her mother cursed her and thus condemned her to her fate. On the other hand some people swear that she is a demonic manifestation, maybe even the Devil itself.
EL CADEJOS (spirit dogs)
Supernatural spirits which appear in the shapes of dogs – either an evil black dog or a helpful white dog. These dogs have blue eyes which turn red when attacking. The dogs appear to travelers at night – a White Cadejo protects the traveler from harm or danger while the Black Cadejo tries to harm or kill the traveler. The dogs appear as large, shaggy creatures – sometimes the size of a cow – with glowing blue or red eyes and goat hooves. They smell strongly of goat.
EL PIRATA SIN CABEZA (a headless pirate)
This apparition is very location specific, haunting the small Pacific Ocean town of Tivivez which lies about 20km south of Puntarenas. It is said that during midnight, when the moon is full, a headless pirate ghost wonders the beaches of Tivivez, emitting strange cries and haunting noises. A ghost ship appears in the month of October and sails down the nearby Jesús María River, where the headless pirate guards his buried treasure under a Guanacaste tree.
This ghostly pirate carries a tale of betrayal, as told by a few slightly differing surviving versions of the original story. Pirates Bartolomé Sharp and William Dampier used to pillage the local seas as a fearsome team. However on this occasion, it was only Dampier who arrived on the Tivivez shores to secretly bury a load of treasure, concealing it from his pirate partner Sharp. He brought with him an evil pirate helper, said to have the heart of a Hyena and Satan for a father. The two pirates buried the treasure under a Guanacaste tree and, once the deed was done, Dampier stabbed his companion to cover his tracks. His evil companion keeled over and, using his last gasps, called out to his father Satan for revenge. Satan soon arrived on scene and crawled into the mouth of the dead pirate, uttering the word ‘here’. Dampier cut off his head but the dead and, now headless, pirate continued to cry out ‘here’, ‘here’…because the undead spirit is bound, through a curse, to the treasure still buried under the Guanacaste tree.
EL PADRE SIN CABEZA (a headless priest)
Our second ‘headless’ apparition is that of a beheaded priest. While many explanations abound, this spiritual phenomenon has its likely beginning in the times of Spanish colonization when Catholic priests and missionaries were often beheaded by indigenous peoples.
In Costa Rica, there are two common legends – in the first, an Alajuela priest names Father Luis Francisco Pérez won 40,000 gold coins in a gambling match. He then travelled to Nicaragua to see his brother and hide the coins. While there, he was decapitated – and upon hearing the news, his brother buried the gold coins but then promptly died of grief. It is said that to this day, the ghost of Father Luis Francisco Pérez haunts those who set out to find the gold.
In Patarrá, San José Province, a headless priest haunts the church grounds, hiding to scare and chase sinners so that they change their ways. The apparition even attacked a man who has shown up to church drunk.
LA TULEVIEJA / LLORANA (old woman looking for her child)
This is a very complex figure with many iterations across different countries and continents. One popular story tells of a beautiful young woman who had an illegitimate child thru an affair with a local townsman. In despair, she drowned the child in a river (or left the child on a riverbank) shortly after giving birth. As punishment for her actions, she was then cursed to wander the earth searching for her lost child, transformed into a monstrous figure.
She is described as a short woman with a thick body, swollen breasts (sometimes leaking milk), and long, dark and tangled hair. Similar to a Harpy, she often wears bird or bat-like wings, and has inverted legs of a bird of prey. Swarms of ants often follow her, drinking milk that falls to the ground.
She may seek out babies to feed with her milk (sometimes stealing them), and at other times has been known to seek out and punish lustful or unfaithful men.
La Llorona is a similar figure with a similar story, although she is more often presented as a still-beautiful woman, crying and weeping near bodies of water or still looking for her lost baby.
EL DUENDE (a goblin-like entity)
These Goblin-like creatures existed (and still do) in both indigenous Costa Rican beliefs where they were seen as guardian spirits, and the legends of the Spanish where they also play a role of guardians but also tricksters – very similar stories, legends and sightings that span across cultures give great credibility to these little beings.
These Goblins appear in many forms, with some being helpful while others are nothing but a nuisance or a downright danger. They may help with household chores and protect the family (or their favourite member of the family), but they are also known for playing tricks, causing disturbances, kidnapping youngsters so they can play with them, and even leading adults and children astray, never to be found again. They can make themselves invisible and cause great headaches to families – making noises with pots or putting out the fire in the middle of the night, throwing garbage all over the house, disturbing animals or casting spells on family members – this has all been documented.
Costa Rican Goblins are generally small, about half a meter in height. They dress is exhaborant clothing with bold colors throughout. The long beards and pointed ears make them reminescent of the European Gnomes, Elves or Trolls who occupy a similar niche. Their rooster legs, attached backwards, make them impossible to follow due to the confusing footprints. It is said the Goblins were Angels who followed the Devil but had a change of heart and repented at the gates of Heaven and now are stuck on Earth, meaning halfway between Heaven and Hell.
Spooky apparitions wondering the jungles, riverbanks, churches, dark country roads and beaches are the stuff of legends, and add to the rich tapestry of the wonderful Costa Rica! RE/MAX WE SELL PARADISE is your trusted real estate partner in this land of wonder and mystery – browse the hot listings in our area and, when ready, give us a call – we are patiently waiting!
