La Carreta Nagua
Ah, Halloween! Something about telling scary stories centered around death just really makes me happy (weird, I know). I wanted to drop some Halloween joy and bring y'all one of my favorite scary folkloric myths, La Carreta Nagua. This wagon of death has scared indigenous Nicaraguans for centuries and is one of those stories that freaks you out, makes sure all children stay in bed, and makes you ignore any bumps you hear in the night. As I did some digging around this tale in college during my Latin American studies courses, I actually learned it originated out of the fear the Nahuatl tribe had of the colonizing Spaniards coming into the villages at night to kill and steal. Hence the title being "Nagua" the Spanish pronunciation of "Nahuatl." Just goes to show, nothing is scarier than real life, especially in 2020.
English Translation:
People feel overwhelmed with terror when they hear the Carretanagua pass by, between one and three in the morning, on dark and gloomy nights.
Those who have had enough courage to look out of a window and see it go by have said that it is a rickety wagon, covered with a white sheet. It is led by Death itself and is drawn by two malnourished oxen.
it does not turn at corners, it simply disappears and then is is heard trotting on the next street scaring all of those awake.
The indigenous people of Monimbó believe that this wagon is the announcement of death as someone typically dies the day after its eerie procession.
Source: "La Carretanagua," en Enrique Peña Hernández: Folklore de Nicaragua. Editorial Unión. Masaya, 1968.
