Even if it may sound cliché, when it comes to love, this strong universal feeling, there are no borders or limits. One of the best ways to preserve this emotion is by sharing stories about it. Since immemorial times, love has been the main protagonist of humanity’s fantasies, anguishes, and goals. It has been the main muse of art in all its variants, painting, sculpture, music, theater, literature, and of course, oral stories. The latter has been the best preserver of humanity’s most natural and innate feeling, and throughout the globe, civilizations have been formed around it.
Today, we’re going to venture into three of the most romantic yet tragic Mexican legends that have been clutching the hearts of millions in Mexico, and probably yours as well.
The Alley of the Kiss (“El Callejón del del Beso”)
We start with one of the most popular romantic legends in Mexico. This story is known as “El Callejón del del Beso” and takes place in Guanajuato’s capital city. The tragedy is about two young people in love, Carmen and Don Carlos. Carmen was the only daughter of a jealous, strict, and wealthy father who kept her away from society so that no man would take her away from him.
However, Carmen was cunning. So, from time to time, she found a way to escape from her house. In one of her secret outings, the young woman met Don Carlos, a humble miner.
The two immediately fell in love. They agreed to meet at a church nearby Carmen’s house. But one day, she was discovered by her father, who didn’t hesitate to lock her up.
Carmen’s father threatened her, saying that he would send her to a convent and later marry her off to a rich old Spanish nobleman— an alliance that would increase her father’s fortune.
Devastated by this, Carmen asked her lady-in-waiting to deliver a letter to Don Carlos in which she warned him about her father’s plans. Being a devoted lover, Don Carlos started to think of a plan. In a matter of minutes, he realized that a window of Carmen’s house opened onto a narrow alley.
Opposite this was another house within a short distance—68 cm (27 inches) to be specific. Don Carlos knew that if he could enter the building across the street, he could talk to his beloved from the balconies, and the two of them could come up with a solution.
Don Carlos found the owner of the house and spent all of his money to buy it. Thus, though still locked up, Carmen and Don Carlos secretly spent long nights seeing each other and talking on the balconies.
Until one day, the father heard murmurs coming from his daughter’s room. He opened the door and found the couple reunited. Enraged by his daughter’s actions, he aimed a dagger in the direction of Carmen’s chest.
Stricken by the tragic event, Don Carlos sobbed while witnessing the sparkle in Carmen’s eyes disappear. It’s said that the devastated lover went completely silent and, with a broken heart, he kissed the hands of his beloved for several hours.
Nowadays, thousands of lovers travel to Guanajuato to visit “El Callejón del Beso” (The Alley of the Kiss), which was named in honor of this romantic tragedy.
It’s said that, if a couple kisses on the third step of this alley, they will have happiness for seven long years. Whereas whoever doesn’t do it while visiting the alley will have seven years of bad luck.
Better not leave your chances to destiny!
Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl
The legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl recounts the emergence of two volcanoes and how they became the oath of eternal love.
Once upon a time, during the pre-Hispanic period, there was a beautiful woman called Mixtli. She was sought after by many men, including Axooxco, a cruel and bloodthirsty man who demanded the hand of the princess.
Yet, Mixtli’s heart belonged to a warrior named Popoca, one of the most handsome warriors in the village; both professed an immense love.
As agreed with the father of the princess, Popoca went to a battle to win the title of “Knight Eagle,” and, thus, dispute the hand of Mixtli to Axooxco. Popoca kept in his heart the promise that Mixtli would wait for him.
While Popoca left to fight, Mixtli had visions that her beloved warrior had lost the battle and died in combat. Disheartened by this tragic foresight, and thinking about the impossibility of reuniting with her love, the princess died of sadness, without knowing that Popoca would soon return triumphant.
Popoca returned victoriously, but his happiness would vanish once he found out about Mixtli’s demise. Although Popoca had earned respect, wealth, and power, he had lost love.
The warrior took the body of the princess and ordered the construction of a fine tomb before the Sun, piling up ten hills and placing on them his beloved’s body. Popoca vowed that he would honor his love for Mixtli.
The warrior took a smoking torch and promised her that he would remain eternally kneeling next to her, at her feet, thus watching over the eternal sleep of his beloved, The Sleeping Woman.
The snow covered them. Then, out of a miracle, their bodies turned into two huge volcanoes: Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl (meaning “smoking hill” and “white woman” in Nahuatl respectively).
To this day, these two volcanoes have remained together and will continue to do so until the end of the world.
The legend adds that every time the warrior remembers his beloved princess, his heart trembles, and his torch is lit. Hence, Popocatépetl’s smoke represents the warrior’s undying love for Mixtli.
The legend of the vanilla
The legend of the vanilla is a traditional story of Papantla, Veracruz, that tells how this aromatic flower was born out of an impossible love.
There was a young woman named Tzacopontziza. She was the daughter of some Totonac nobles who possessed a stunning beauty. Her family lived very close to Tajín, the seat of her town.
One day, the young woman went to deposit an offering on the plate of Chac Mool, a Mesoamerican figure. There, she met Xcatan-oxga, a young man with whom she fell in love at first sight.
However, the possibility of a prospering romance was almost impossible since Xcatan-oxga was poor and lived in a humble hut surrounded by fertile land.
Despite this, the two lovers didn’t let their social differences get in the way of their love. They met almost daily in a fleeting way when the young man took the harvest of his sowing to the market.
In a short period, their feelings for each other bloomed into a deep and sincere love, and a fiery passion settled in their hearts.
Time went by, until one day Tzacopontziza passed by a sacred temple and stumbled upon the god of happiness, a man with a shaven head and a feather-work crown. The god of happiness was stroked by her beauty and decided to court her.
The maiden tried to dodge his advances, but the God found a way to reveal his feelings for her. Tzacopontziza politely rejected the God who, despite being a joyful deity, was full of outrage.
The God threatened the young woman with unleashing his fury on Tajín. The warning made Tzacopontziza tremble with fear, yet she didn’t want to abandon her love for Xcatan-oxga.
The cunning God then decided to gain the support of her father so that he would let the God marry his daughter. He invited the father to his palace, revealed divine secrets to him, and won a date with the girl.
The young lovers tried to escape but had only taken a few steps when they were arrested and taken to the priests of Tonacayohua, who declared sacrilege. Without allowing them to defend themselves, the priests put an end to the lovers’ lives.
In the ditch where they were sentenced, the vegetation began to show inexplicable changes. First, all the plants and herbs withered. Then, a single bush began to grow; next to it grew an orchid that wrapped itself around the bush, embracing it delicately.
When both plants reached their final size, yellow flowers transformed into dark pods, giving off an exquisite aroma. Thus, vanilla was born.
The town concluded that the spirit of the lovers was responsible for this miracle. From then on, the vanilla was declared the sacred plant of the territory.
Images from: Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay
