La Ziguanaba Legend
I have heard many versions of La Ziguanaba story. Here are a couple tales on how she became a malignant spirit.
Mythology - Once the exalted queen of the moon, and married to the sun, Ziguet succumbed to temptation and had an affair with the dawn. From this affair, El Cipitillo was born. When the sun complained to the high god Teotl, he cursed Zigueget and her bastard son. El Cipitillo was never to grow into a man, and Ziguet was cast down to earth as a malicious spirit. She would wander the river banks and lonely midnight roads in search of the wayward. She would appear to be a beautiful woman, but she would turn into a hideous hag, beating river stones with her large sagging breasts.
Folklore - Zigueget was the most beautiful girl in her tribe. She loved to gossip and spend the day as idle as possible. She was married to the best warrior of the tribe, and soon gave him a son, Cipitillo. Tired of the married life, Zigueget began leaving the child alone at home so she could go gossip at the river. She spent more time on herself and her idle ways than on her husband and child. Her mother-in-law went to complain to Teotl, and he cursed Zigueget. She became a malignant spirit with long black hair and the face of a skeleton.
Stories
There are many versions and accounts of the legend. Here are a few I have heard:
Common - A man was riding his horse late one night, on his way home from a party. He had to pass near a river in order to get to his pueblo. It was already late, very dark, and he was beginning to get nervous. Just as he was passing by the river, he felt something heavy land on the back of his horse. His animal began to fret, and took off at a fast gallop. He could feel arms encircle his waist and someone's body pressing against his back. Too scared to move, all he could do was hold on to the reins as tight as he could. Soon those hands began to caress his chest, and he passed out from fright. When he awoke, his horse had gotten him home, and he was feverish. It took him days to recover, and everyone said he had been spooked by La Ziguanaba.
Wayward husband - A man was returning to his pueblo late one night from visiting with his lover. He was trying to hurry, so his wife wouldn't be too upset that he had been gone so long. The moonlight was bathing the road, making it easy to see where he was going. Just as he was coming to a cross in the roads, he noticed a woman sitting on a log. The first thing to cross his mind was that she was his mother, waiting for him. He wondered if his wife were so upset, that maybe his mother had come to warn him. He stopped his horse near her, and called out to her. The woman didn't respond. Trying to control his fidgeting horse, he called to her again. She raised her head, and he was shocked to see the face of a skeleton. He forced his animal to go, and he raced home as fast as possible. When he had finally made it to his house, he was horrified to see the woman had laid out across his doorway, and would refuse to let him pass. He mustered all his strength, and shouted "Maria pata de gallina (chicken feet) let me pass!" The apparition vanished and he was able to get into his house. He never wandered at night again.
The party animal - There once was a man who loved to party. He and his friends would go from pueblo to pueblo, attending any and all social function. They loved to dance, and flirt with the women. One night, they were returning from a neighboring town, and they decided to cut through a gorge. In the moonlight, they noticed a woman standing before them, beckoning to them. She seemed incredibly beautiful and shapely, so he decided to stop and see if he could help her. She began to walk away, but would glance back and smile at him. The man decided to follow the coquettish woman, and left his amused friends. He hurried after her, on foot, and practically chased her a few miles. The farther he went, the more determined he was to catch her. His laughing friends soon lost track of him, and they finally went home without him. A few days later, the man was found hanging from a cliff. He was drooling, and he had lost his mind. La Ziguanaba had teased him almost to the point of death.