El Sombrerón of Guatemala
Sometimes called tzipitio or tzizimite, El Sombrerón is thought to be one of the oldest legends in Guatemalan culture but tales of El Sombrerón appear in Mexico, Columbia, and other Central and South American countries. But just who is this malicious spirit that can seemingly transfix women and bring about their untimely deaths?
The Legend of Sombreron
Though there are a few legends surrounding El Sombrerón, one of the more popular stories is that of a young woman named Susana who lived in Antigua, Guatemala. A different version exists where she is named Celina while other versions say she is a completely different woman in a different country but, the stories play out the same.
Susana of Antigua, Guatemala
In the 18th century on a warm moonlit night in Antigua, Guatemala, young Susana sat on her balcony watching the stars as she brushed her long luscious brown hair. In the distance, she heard a sound and watched as a short man wearing a large black sombrero emerged from the forest leading four mules.
Susana was curious about the man in all black, instead of heeding her parent's past warnings to rush inside when a stranger approached, she stayed and watched as the man tied his mules to the post outside. Susana didn’t know it but she was in the presence of El Sombrerón and he had chosen her as his next victim.
Barely lifting his head, the man reached for the saddle on one of the mules and produced a guitar, something that Susana was sure wasn’t there before. El Sombrerón cleared his throat and began to play the most beautiful song Susana had ever heard and, it was dedicated to her. From this moment on, Susana was in love.
Hearing the music, Susana’s parents ran outside but El Sombrerón had already vanished. Meanwhile, Susana stood on her balcony, tears in her eyes, heartbroken that her “true love” had disappeared. The night Susana was unable to sleep, she stayed up waiting and wishing for El Sombrerón to return.
When morning came and it was time for breakfast, Susana refused to eat. When she was given a plate of food, her parents were shocked to discover it now contained soil. Day after day Susana slowly withered away, unable to sleep or eat as she waited for El Sombrerón to return.
El Sombrerón Returns
One night Susana heard the song El Sombrerón played for her and ran to the balcony. She listened intently, losing herself in a trance, and unlike the first time El Sombreron played music, this time she was the only one who could hear it. Hours later her parents entered her room and discovered El Sombrerón braiding Susana’s hair as she sat staring blankly at the wall.
Melvin Callejas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Seeing her parents, El Sombrerón jumped from the balcony and disappeared before her parents could see where he went. Fearing for their daughter, Susana’s parents cut her hair off at the braid and brought it to La Recoleccion church to be blessed by a priest.
Immediately after being blessed, Susana could no longer hear the music, her appetite returned, her sleep improved, and she never saw El Sombrerón ever again. The same could not be said for other young women who are said to have fallen for the man in the hat.
For those unable to escape him, it’s said he will appear at their funerals crying crystal tears for his lost love. Others say once you die El Sombrerón keeps your soul and you’re bound to him for all eternity.
Possible Origin and Other Versions
Usually, the main difference in legends of El Sombrerón involves how his victim ends up leaving with the malicious spirit. Sometimes if the El Sombrerón completes the braid on the woman he loves, they’ll be tied to him forever. Other versions say that he only braids their hair once he impregnates the woman and by then it’s too late to save her.
While there is no known origin to El Sombrerón some believe it is an evolution of an old Mayan tale where a woman is impregnated by the grandson of the god of fertility. Others believe it is based on a different Mayan legend of an unruly child who was punished by having to wear a large hat. The hat grew in size overnight and covered his entire body by the morning. Eventually, the hat imbued the child with more supernatural powers.
There are several other supposed origins of El Sombrerón but nothing that could be traced back to a definitive source and there is very little written about El Sombrerón in academic literature, at least from what I was able to find. The legend's origins are also clouded by what the stories aimed to teach, for example in Guatemala El Sombrerón stories are clearly used as a warning for young women not to fall for any man and to heed their parent's warnings about men.
But with El Sombrerón said to be a legend that has spread to other Latin American countries going as far back as the 17th century, it's no surprise there are other specific versions with their own lessons tied to those locations.
El Sombrerón of Columbia
In Columbia, while El Sombrerón is portrayed as less of a lady-killer, he targets drunk men who are known to attack women or cheat on them. In these legends, he is more of a vigilante who saves women instead of kidnapping them. His appearance is much the same except some version of the legend gives him a skull face that is never seen due to the large hat.
It’s said El Sombrerón first appeared in 1837 in the city of Medellin during an unusually cold and windy night. The winds were so fierce many chose to shut themselves in and lock their windows and doors. But others, those who were said to be drunks and cheaters, left their homes in search of their vices.
As the full moon shone bright, residents began to hear the clopping of a horse and the growls of rabid dogs. Those who dared to look saw El Sombrerón riding a black horse and holding chains that were attached to two large black dogs.
As El Sombrerón wandered the streets and if he came upon a drunk or a cheater he would unleash his dogs to attack the men. Those who lived claimed El Sombrerón had red eyes and a skeletal face. Those who weren’t so lucky to escape the dogs were never heard from again.
El Sombrerón of Mexico
In Mexico, El Sombrerón is a much more violent version and is sometimes described as tall and skinny. Those who see El Sombrerón are frozen with fear and unable to speak.
Unlike the Guatemalan or Columbian version, in Mexico El Sombrerón is a defender of nature but he is known to still chase after women. Once he has a woman under his spell, he will lead them into a cave or deep into the forest where they’re never heard from again.
Some versions of El Sombrerón in Mexico even have an origin to the spirit, claiming he was a thief who attacked those wandering the roads late at night. After he was captured by a band of vigilantes, instead of being taken to jail, he was tortured to death.
His body was tossed along the same roads where he was once an assailant. With no one willing to bury him or pray for his soul, the man returned as El Sombrerón to continue his attacks and attempt to capture women’s hearts.
Other Sources
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