El Agüelo/El Abuelo

El Agüelo is a creature whose name translates to “grandfather” in Spanish and is speculated to have some connection to words of the Pueblo Native Americans. He serves as a bogeyman figure, sometimes identical to the Cucuy, and possibly related to a similar figure named Laguna Chapió. He also serves as a prominent figure in the Los Matachines dance, along with La Abuela who serves as his female counterpart. He is most commonly from New Mexico and Colorado, more so than other parts of the Southwest. He is depicted as an intimidating old man with a scary mask on his face. Sometimes the mask is a tortilla adorned with buffalo horns and a horsetail. He often wears a black cape and always carries a whip. He visits the houses of children on Christmas eve, or an evening in the week before Christmas to see if the children have behaved. He knocks hard on the door to announce his presence, and the children of the house must respond by reciting their prayers and catechisms. If recited correctly, El Agüelo and the children will dance in a circle and sing. Specifically in a circle right to left, and then left to right as they dance Las Palomitas (which means the little dove.) If recited improperly, the children will be forced to dance alone and the Agüelo will sing threateningly at them while cracking his whip. He’s also been known to whip children who misbehave or don’t learn their prayers. He is left sweets and cookies which he carries off in a large sack, but he can also use this to carry away disobedient children. Sometimes he just calls and asks if the children have behaved. If the parents vouch for them, he tells the parents to let the children pray and go to bed.

Citations:

American Anthropologist. United States, American Anthropological Association, 1920.

Castro, Rafaela. Chicano Folklore: A Guide to the Folktales, Traditions, Rituals and Religious Practices of Mexican Americans. United Kingdom, OUP USA, 2001.

Journal of American Folklore. United States, American Folk-lore Society, 1916.

Herrera-Sobek, María. Chicano Folklore: A Handbook. United Kingdom, Greenwood Press, 2006.

Sedgwick, William T., and Sedgwick, Mary Katrine Rice. Acoma: The Sky City. United States, Harvard universityPress, 1926.