Mexico and its legends of Vampires

A vampire is, according to the folklore of various countries, a creature that feeds on the vital essence of other living beings (usually in the form of blood) in order to stay active.

Throughout history, and in numerous cultures, various beliefs about these creatures have appeared, both in the mythology and in the folklore of very different peoples. Cultures such as the Mesopotamian, the Jewish, the Greek and the Roman include within their mythology tales about demonic entities and bloodthirsty spirits that are considered precursors of modern vampires.

And the truth is that like many, Mexico has not been the exception... As an example, here we have 3 of its famous legends about these mythical creatures.

Tlahuelpuchi

In the folk culture of Tlaxcala, the belief is transmitted that there is the Tlahuelpuchi, a vampire witch who sucks the blood of babies until they die. There are at least a hundred legends; in the past, their evil was blamed for the unforeseen deaths of babies, actually due to what we now know as the crib death syndrome or white death.

At birth, a Tlahuelpuchi is indistinguishable from a normal baby, but the differences become apparent at puberty, when this hideous being notices an uncontrollable urge to take human blood, particularly from babies between 3 and 10 months of age, since they are more nutritious.

These individuals have the supernatural power to transform into animals, mainly birds, and within this species, the turkey is the most common. The tlahuelpuchis cannot transform into animals in the presence of normal people, so they hypnotize them or retreat to where they cannot be seen.

The rite they perform to acquire this gift of transformation is said to take place on the last Saturday of each month, after midnight.

When he transforms into an animal, his body radiates a particular phosphorescent light, which reveals his identity.

And it is thanks to this signal that the vampire hunters come to recognize the Tlahuelpuchi and can kill him.

Camazotz

He is a character from Mesoamerican mythology, considered the bat god of the Aztecs and Mayans, in addition to being a master of the mysteries of life and death, he also symbolized night, death and sacrifice.

The Camazotz cult began around 100 BC. C. among the Zapotec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico; who venerated an anthropomorphic monster with the body of a man and the head of a bat.

It is said that this god has the power to cure any illness, but he also has the power to cut the silver cord of life that joins the body to the soul according to the indigenous people.

Although there are specialists who think that it was a god of evil that transmitted the disease of rabies.

The Mayans represented Camazotz as a human being with the head and wings of a bat.

Today, images of this sacred animal have been found in hieroglyphs and pottery from over 2,000 years ago. He was honored through animal sacrifices and offerings of tamales and flowers.

Civatateo

This witch-vampire was among the Aztec legends. It is said that this being is a servant of various lunar deities, it is assumed to be a noble woman who has died giving birth. Children are his favorite food, dying of disease soon after the attack. These vampires appear with white faces, hands covered in white chalk, and bones drawn on their clothing.

As demonic figures, they closely resembled these other vampiric figures such as the Lamias of ancient Greece. Offerings were placed at the crossroads so that they would get fed up and not attack the children. At the same time, if they stayed there, they were destroyed by sunlight.