Mexico's extensive heritage, it's undeniable that mythical creatures continue to haunt the fields, rivers, forests, caves, and ruins of the villages - or at least during storytime or when parents scare their kids to go home when it gets dark.


Mexico's Mythical Creatures: How long have they been around?

According to a recent article, these mythical monsters already exist long before the Spanish invasion particularly in the indigenous cultures that inhabited and still inhabit the different regions of Mexico such as Olmecs, Mayas, Aztecs, Toltecs, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, Tarascans, Totonacs, Otomis, Huichols, Tarahumaras, Yaquis, Coras, among others. Growing up, every Mexican may have heard one of these creatures from their village elders and whenever they refuse to go home in the evening or eat their veggies or go to sleep.


Brace yourself for these five creepy mythical creatures of Mexico:


Waay Chivo

Name: Waay Chivo. In the Mayan language, Waay means "spirit".

Nickname: Chivo brujo, Espanto de la medianoche (Midnight fright). And in recent times, Chupacabras.

Origin: Maya

Sex: Male

Residence: Mountains near towns

Special features:

Waay Chivo is described as a creature with a human body but a goat's head and legs--typically, how the image of the devil is portrayed not only in Mexico, but in other places as well. It is black, has big twisted horns, strong legs, sharp claws, long beards, a very hairy chest, and red and sparkling eyes.

Its intelligence is at par with humans, but it possesses enormous strength and moves at high speed. It is enveloped by a cloud of intense cold and emits dreadful moans, thunderous laughter and insults. It devours human beings, especially children, and drinks goat blood. As a force of evil, it hates the light.


El Nahual

Origin: Aztec, Toltec, Mixe, Maya, Tarahumara, Yaqui, etc.

Name: Nahual comes from "Nahualli," which in Nahuatl means "double".

Nicknames: Alma gemela (A soul mate) Primitive spirit (Espíritu primitivo) Nuestro señor del viento y las tinieblas (Our lord of the wind and the darkness)

Sex: Female or male.

Age: More than five hundred years old.

Residence: It can appear anywhere since it lives in the heart of humans.

Particular characteristics:

It is half-human and half-beast and is the secret spirit of any human being. Some describe it as a sorcerer who transforms at night into an animal, often a black dog or a jaguar. It eats cattle and drinks children's blood, but some say it feeds on human fear, desire, and hatred. With glowing, reddish eyes, it emits terrifying, mocking laughter or grunts.


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Sinsimito

Origin: Maya

Name: Sinsimito or Sinsimite, as it is called in the Mayan language, but it comes from the Nahuatl word "Tzitzimitl," which means "the devil."

Nicknames: Señor de Los Animales, which translates to "Lord of the animals," El Salvaje, which translates to "The savage," Monstruo de la selva, which translates to "Jungle monster," and Poderoso guardián del Cerro, which translates to "Powerful guardian of the hill"

Sex: Male or female

Age: Twenty centuries

Home: Sinsimito is said to be found in caves deep in the mountains, near forests, and jungles, but it wanders at night around the villages.

Personal details:

It's a creature that appears as a gorilla with some human features and a man's or a woman's face. He jumps around and, when at rest, leans on a tree trunk like a cane. Very muscular, but without joints, Sinsimito can't lie down and must sleep standing up. He's afraid of water and eats wild fruits, ashes of the bonfires, and also human flesh. Fierce, irrational, lewd, rebellious, and sneaky, the Sinsimito produces a hoarse panting sound and throws screams that pierce the jungle.


Fiery Serpent

Origin: Mixe

Name: Coo Ñu'un, which in Mixtec language comes from "Coo" snake, and "ñu'un": fire.

Nicknames: Estrella fugaz (Shooting star), Flecha de Huitzilopochtli (Arrow of Huitzilopochtli), Caballo de Tláloc (Horse of Tlaloc), Culebra de la Vía Láctear (Milky Way Snake).

Sex: Female

Age: Over five hundred years old

Region of residence: Mountainous regions

Creature information:

With a body of a lobster and the head of a snake, its most recognizable feature is the feathers surrounding its body. It also has four legs and sharp claws; its tail is shaped like a wick that gives fiery propulsion when it catches fire. It feeds on men's desires and ambitions.


Tukákame

Origin: Huichol

Name: Tukákame or Tikakame, which in the Huichol language means "the devil".

Nicknames: Demonio necrófago (Necrophagous demon), Luna-araña (Moon-spider), Señor del inframundo (Lord of the underworld).

Sex: Male

Home: The underworld, but it usually haunts the Wirikuta desert during the moon new and appears in the hallucinations produced by the peyote.

Mythical details:

With a human body that is sometimes just a skeleton, Tukakame also transforms as a wolf. It's always covered in bloodstains, and its face appears painted like a mask, with white spots. It is also winged and has horns on its head and very messy hair. It has bulging eyes and hangs bones of corpses on its waist that produce a creepy maraca noise. Extremely dirty and stinking, it extremely hates water and doesn't take a bath, and feeds on rotten human flesh, so when you smell something unpleasant, you will be reminded of a Tukakame. As Mexico's god of the underworld, this mythical creature's pets are living skeletons of animals, "birds of death".