Maya's children are the Crying Woman's eternal quest
Maya’s Children: The Story of La Llorona adds a 500+-year-old legend to the storehouse of children’s literature in English and Spanish through the substantial storytelling capabilities of Rudolfo Alfonso Anaya (born October 30, 1937), as:
• anthologist, editor, essayist, folklorist, historian, mythologist, novelist, playwright, poet, storyteller in the Old Southwest’s Land of Enchantment;
• counselor in the United States of America’s forty-seventh state; and
• emeritus literature professor at the University of New Mexico.
The story brings together beliefs, customs, folklore, legends, myths, proverbs, and sayings of Hispanic and Native American peoples from fifteenth-century Mexico northward into sixteenth-century New Mexico.
It can be considered an old tale whose role-modeling cautions against children behaving badly and parents suffering nightmarish losses.
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Comments
CruiseReady, Thank you for liking this review! Rudolfo Anaya has a talent for lifting readers up -- as in his beautiful story "Bless Me, Ultima" -- even when he touches upon what is disappointing or sad in life. The book is told so beautifully and offers such cultural and historical insights that it is worth the read and re-read...as I do with this book and with the author's other children's books. Spanish-speaking parents use the story of the crying woman -- not of scary monsters like in horror films (which I tend to avoid) -- to encourage their children to be home before dark and to be careful of strange behaviors and people outside their known circle of family, friends, and peers.
What a beautifully illustrated article! After reading it, I find myself thinking I would like to read this children's book myself, even though it sounds as if it has some pretty sad elements.
Mira, New Mexico lives up to its nickname as The Land of Enchantment. Me, too, I also love the Zia Sun Symbol on New Mexico's beautiful state flag.
I appreciate the compliment on the illustrations in my articles. Images entertainingly convey information and effectively reinforce education.
I especially value your compliment on this article because Rudolfo Anaya is a living treasure.
I love that sun symbol on the flag. You always illustrate your articles so nicely. Thank you for sharing all this with us. The story is also interesting.