In the days of Spanish rule, when travelers feared the road after sunset, there was a crossroads few dared to approach once night had fallen. It lay where two dirt paths met beneath an old ceiba tree, its roots twisted deep into the earth. Elders warned that such places belonged neither fully to God nor to man, and that spirits, both holy and wicked, were drawn to them.
One night, a poor man returning from a distant village found himself delayed by rain and darkness. He was honest but weary, burdened by hunger and worry for his family. Against his better judgment, he reached the crossroads just as the moon slipped behind the clouds.
Explore the land of La Llorona, trickster coyotes, and magical realism in Mexican folklore
There, beneath the ceiba, stood a stranger dressed finer than any traveler should be. His voice was smooth, his smile easy, and his eyes gleamed with unnatural fire.
The stranger spoke of opportunity.
He promised wealth, land, and power beyond imagining. All the man must do was agree, nothing more than a spoken word, a simple promise of loyalty. The stranger hinted that many before him had accepted, and none regretted it.
But the man remembered the teachings of the church, and the older stories told by Indigenous elders, of tricksters who wore pleasing faces and spoke half-truths. He felt fear, but he did not answer at once.
Instead, he prayed.
The stranger grew impatient, mocking prayer and humility. Yet the man stood firm, speaking prayers aloud and reminding himself that no gift gained through evil could bring lasting good.
As the night wore on, the stranger’s voice sharpened, his kindness slipping into threat. Still, the man did not yield.
At the first light of dawn, the stranger vanished, leaving only silence and the whisper of wind through the ceiba’s leaves.
The man returned home poorer in coin, but richer in spirit, and never again doubted the power of faith and wisdom.
Immerse yourself in Latin America’s stories of passion, transformation, and spirit.
Moral Lesson
This folktale teaches that faith, humility, and discernment protect against temptation. True strength lies in resisting easy gains offered by evil.
Knowledge Check
1. Where does the man encounter the devil?
At a lonely crossroads at night.
2. What does the devil offer the man?
Wealth and power in exchange for his soul.
3. How does the man resist temptation?
Through prayer, humility, and wisdom.
4. What cultural traditions influence the story?
Catholic doctrine and Indigenous trickster beliefs.
5. Why is the crossroads symbolic?
It represents moral choice and spiritual danger.
6. What lesson does the story teach?
Greed leads to ruin, but faith leads to safety.
Source: Spanish colonial moral folktales; oral tradition
Cultural Origin: Mexico and Central America (Spanish Colonial folklore)
