The legend of ‘La Planchada’ is perhaps one of the most popular stories of haunt hospitals, especially those in Mexico City. And the fact of imagining ourselves in the silent corridors of the Juárez Hospital and suddenly seeing in the darkness a nurse dressed in white who disappears in the blink of an eye, would make anyone’s blood run cold. The mysterious woman who haunts the famous hospital has been seen by hundreds of people, who claim that the nurse who treated them is actually a ghost who night after night is in charge of caring for the dying and alone patients.
The legend of ‘La Planchada’
Legend has it that ‘La Planchada’ was a young nurse named Eulalia, whose heart was captivated by the handsome Dr. Joaquín. After a year of dating, Joaquín proposed marriage, but before the couple got together, the doctor had to say goodbye to Eulalia under the pretext of attending a 15-day seminar in another city.
The days passed and there was no news about her lover until a nurse confessed that Joaquín had actually gone on a honeymoon with his new wife, immediately breaking the young woman’s fragile heart. Her betrayal plunged Eulalia into a deep sadness that made her little by little neglect her patients to the point that some died due to her negligence.
As the years went by, Eulalia became ill and soon died, but not before regretting having been such a bad nurse and having let so many people die. After her death, testimonies began to emerge in the hospital from people who claimed to have been treated by a kind nurse dressed in impeccable and perfectly ironed clothes, just as Eulalia wore in life.
A promise kept
Over the years, numerous patients have recounted encounters with a kind nurse, whose presence is felt when night falls and the hospital falls into silence. Those who have been treated by ‘La Planchada’ describe her as a blonde woman, with a serious face and impeccable clothing, who appears when she is needed most, caring for the sick with a devotion that goes beyond death.
This story was written in Spanish by Mariana Martell in Cultura Colectiva
