La Lechuza: Legendary Mexican terror of the night

 La Lechuza is a horrifying monster native to northern Mexico and southern California and Texas. Many Latinx people have been warned by their abuelas to avoid La Lechuza, who hunts at night and brings instant death to anyone unwise or unlucky enough to encounter her.

According to some legends, La Lechuza is a witch who sold her soul to the devil. In others, she is a simple old woman who was executed by the townspeople for a crime she didn't commit. Regardless of La Lechuza's origin story, in the here and now, she is an owl-like demon who swoops down in the night and kills with a simple touch. Even the lightest brush of one of her feathers will kill the hapless victim instantly.

La Lechuza is drawn to negative emotions. She may lurk near a bar, hoping to swoop down on the patrons as they stagger out into the darkness at closing time. If a couple is having a loud argument in the night, La Lechuza may perch in a nearby tree waiting for someone to storm out of the house. And naturally she enjoys killing small children, who are warned to never leave the house after dark.

La Lechuza is associated with storms. A thunderstorm at night is an ill portent, and a wise person will stay strictly indoors on a stormy night. La Lechuza may also try to lure people outside by making a sound like a baby crying, or by whistling a call. Whistle back to La Lechuza, and your fate is sealed.

Should you have time before she swoops down and snatches you up, La Lechuza can be repelled by a handful of salt and chile powder. She may also be warded off by reciting The Magnificat (also known as the Canticle of Mary).

Even so, if you survive a La Lechuza sighting, you may still fall ill. It is best to visit a curandero (Mexican shaman) as soon as possible, to have La Lechuza's curse lifted from your blood.