El Sombrerón

In the old neighborhoods of Guatemala, especially La Recolección in the capital and colonial Antigua, people tell of El Sombrerón, a little man dressed in black with echoing boots, a shining belt and an enormous hat that hides most of his face. He is also called 'the goblin of the braids'. He is said to fall in love with young women who have long hair and large eyes; at night he serenades them with a small silver guitar, braids their hair and even tangles the manes of horses and the tails of dogs. The chosen girl stops eating and sleeping, and her plates of food are found full of dirt by morning. The only way to free her from the spell is to cut her hair and hide it, or move her to another house. The most famous version tells of Susana, a girl from La Recolección whose family had to shave her head to save her. It is a tender yet unsettling tale about forbidden desire.