Tales of Monimbó

    With a fantastic imagination, the inhabitants of the Monimbó neighborhood in the city of Masaya are famous for their tales of "ceguas" (monstrous creatures) and "micas" or witch pigs.

    Don Juan Bautista Jiménez Ortiz, a carver and artist from that place, recounts, "In those times, Monimbó was illuminated with oil lamps, people would say 'good night' and go to bed early. However, at midnight, dragging footsteps could be heard on the paths along the houses. It was the witch pig, whose favorite place to scare people was close to a place called Las Cuatro Esquinas

    "I experienced firsthand. It turns out I had a girlfriend in San Juan, around where the Roberto Clemente Stadium is now. I was returning around ten or eleven at night from visiting her and I had to pass through that place. There was no light, only oil lamps in certain places and an occasional carbide lamp.

  

 "I was walking with fear, but trying to act very brave. Suddenly, I felt my whole body vibrate, I heard the snorting of the animal near me, and its shadow passed. I was terrified to hear that noise because I knew for certain that it was the animal representing the Devil. How was that noise? It was as if the animal were emitting horrible snoring sounds. As best as I could, I ran towards my house and the first thing I did was scream, 'Dad!' because I knew my father, who is related to the late Victoriano Chávez, could defend me in that situation. 'What's wrong with you?' he asked me. Well, the witch pig came out, I told him. 'That's obvious, because you have a frightened look on your face,' he says, 'let's go see (he went out). There's nothing there.' But I was trembling with fear, he went, walked around the block, and returned to the same place: there was nothing."

    As D. Enrique P. Hernández narrates in his book "Folklore of Nicaragua," these infernal appearances take advantage of the darkness of the nights, the atmosphere of superstition, and the imagination of the inhabitants to scare mischief-makers in order to cause harm due to revenge, jealousy, resentments, or enmities. They even carry out robberies and thefts with impunity.

    The story of Juan Bautista Jiménez is an excerpt from "The Famous Carver Who Made a Pact with the Devil" by Mario Fulvio Espinosa, published in La Prensa on July 24, 2005.