: In certain regional variations, she acts as a guide for the dead, marking the spots where graves should be opened with her tears. 3. Regional Variations
While her roots are deep in , the legend has adapted as it spread: The Legend of La Llorona
The most common version of the tale tells of a beautiful young woman named who marries a wealthy man. After years of neglect and his eventual infidelity, Maria is consumed by a fit of uncontrollable rage and drowning her two children in a river. Realizing what she has done, she is overcome with grief and either drowns herself or dies of sorrow on the riverbank. : In certain regional variations, she acts as
: She typically appears as a tall, thin apparition dressed in a flowing white gown or rebozo (shawl). After years of neglect and his eventual infidelity,
: She is famously heard wailing, "¡Ay, mis hijos!" (Oh, my children!) near bodies of water at night. 2. Appearance & Characteristics