By Marina Kuperman
Central America Travel Expert, about.com
Every culture has its own ghost and monster stories. It is one of the many aspects that make a group of people or whole country unique and more interesting to visit. That is why I love hearing these kinds of stories whenever I travel to a new place.
Belize is no exception. During one of my visits I was able to learn a little about its most popular legends. In this article I have included four of the most popular ones.
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4 Legends of Belize:
1. El Galipote
El Galipote is the story of a man who lived long ago that made a pact with the devil. He wanted to sell his soul in exchange for the ability to commit all the crimes he wanted to without being caught or murdered. The only one who could kill him was the priest from the local church with a gun. So he decided to kill the priest before he knew about this condition.After a lot of stealing and bad deeds he ended up being an extremely rich man. It is said that he could even take the form of animals and objects whenever he wanted. That was how he managed to escape from the police so many times.
People also say that he still lives, hiding within the territory that used to be part of his property. At night you can also hear many screams that come from those buildings, as if those satanic rituals were repeated for eternity.
But he isn’t limited to his old property, he has been seen stealing and doing wrong to people all over the country.
2. The Stone Lady
There is an ancient Mayan archaeological site called Xunantunich it is located about 128km away from Belize City. It is a great place to visit because of its impressive structures. But there is another reason why it is famous. There is a ghost in it.The legend says that the ruins of the structure known as El Castillo is haunted by the spirit of a woman. She shows herself dressed in white with red eyes. She can be seen walking up the stairs of the mentioned structures and disappearing into a stone frieze.
The site is even named after the ghost, Xunantunich means Stone Woman in the Maya language.
3. Tata Duende
This is the story of an ugly little man that lives in the Belizean rain forest. He has backward feet, a large red hat and no thumbs. Because of that, he is always trying to trick people, mainly kids, that venture in the jungle alone to show him their hands, when they do he rips their thumbs off.He can also transform into a number of small animals or even like someone you might know, this way you can never be sure if you are in his presence. So take my advice and try to keep your hands in your pockets or never enter the forest alone.
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4. Xtabai the Seductress
This is the spirit of a gorgeous woman with pretty long hair and a sweet voice that preys on men. She attracts them with her good looks until they get to the nearest Ceiba tree where she takes the lives of her victims. She transforms into a tree with branches covered in thorns that surround the victim and pierce every single part of their body.Few have been able to survive her attack.
