There Was a Woman: La Llorona from Folklore to Popular Culture

by Domino Renée Pérez

"How is it that there are so many lloronas?" A haunting figure of Mexican oral and literary traditions, La Llorona permeates the consciousness of her folk community. From a ghost who haunts the riverbank to a murderous mother condemned to wander the earth after killing her own children in an act of revenge or grief, the Weeping Woman has evolved within Chican@ imaginations across centuries, yet no truly comprehensive examination of her impact existed until now. Tracing La Llorona from ancient oral tradition to her appearance in contemporary material culture, There Was a Woman delves into the intriguing transformations of this provocative icon. From La Llorona's roots in legend to the revisions of her story and her exaltation as a symbol of resistance, Domino Renee Perez illuminates her many permutations as seductress, hag, demon, or pitiful woman. Perez draws on more than two hundred artifacts to provide vivid representations of the ways in which these perceived identities are woven from abstract notions—such as morality or nationalism—and from concrete, often misunderstood concepts from advertising to television and literature. The result is a rich and intricate survey of a powerful figure who continues to be reconfigured.

Genres: Nonfiction, Research, Feminism, Womens, Latino

302 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

Reviews

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a relief, with all the alarms about cultural (mis)appropriation to read a Hispanic author who sees that some of us want to learn out of respect. Or even use part of their culture to help understand the human condition better. Domino Renee Perez understands the draw of la llorona. The “weeping woman” is one of the most famous Mexican ghosts that has crossed over into American pop culture. This book explores what that looks like.

It’s important to note that this is an academic book. It will require some work on the part of the reader. So full of information, however, it’s a boon to the curious. As I mention elsewhere (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World), I first encountered la llorona through the movie The Curse of la Llorona. An Hispanic friend whose mother was from Puerto Rico knew the tradition and said so when he caught me watching the movie. There are lots of books out there on la llorona, but I trust academic authors, I guess.

This particular ghost is all about the disenfranchised: women, those who don’t fit into white men’s ideas of who deserves a fair chance at life, the exploited. She has appeared many times in popular media before the movie I’d seen. Obviously she has some cultural cachet. I would recommend this book for those who want an informed source but one that may well require some additional reading to fully appreciate. And the author doesn’t judge those who are just plain curious.

[Sandra Del Rio · Rating 5 out of 5]

La Llorona’s story is one that we should pass on as both a critical reading strategy and part of our cultural legacy.

So much to learn from our oral histories... La Llorona is not a figure we should abandon. Loved the book!

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had been hanging out on my "reading" list for a year and a half. No idea why, but I think my Kindle died and then I got distracted and started reading other things, so I actually re-started it in early June.

I think I first encountered La Llorona when I was a pre-teen, in Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, and have had an on-and-off love affair with her since.

This is an enjoyable and pleasantly un-jargony book, although it might be a little overwhelming if you're new to Chican@ studies or the legend of La Llorona. Pèrez has a workman-like prose and the folklore studies and anthropological analyses are readily understandable from a layman's perspective. I started out highlighting in my copy stories and studies that I hadn't yet read, and let me tell you, this book is a treasure trove if you want to dive into Chican@ authors and poets, both about this topic and in general.

[Avalon Valgardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super dense read, but definitely worth pushing through for! I started this back in mid-October as a Halloween-ish nonfiction, but I'd say read it any time, because there's a lot of really cool analyses within it and it's not necessarily an "October" book. If you love La Llorona as much as I do, please pick this up! You won't regret it.

Also, there's a lot of social commentary about feminism, racism, and all that, so if you're not into it, I say give it a miss. Otherwise, check it out! I just really liked it, as difficult as it was to get through.