The Donkey of Cuapa's Rock

     Among the fondest memories of my childhood are the songs and stories my mom used to tell me when we traveled by road to some city in Nicaragua.

    Back in those days, seat belts or special seats for children weren't common, so one of the greatest pleasures for me was to move to the front seat and sit on my mom's lap. I loved listening to her tales of monkeys descending from the mountain or mischievous goblins stealing girls.

    She used to tell me the latter story when we traveled to Juigalpa, her hometown. As we passed by Cuapa's Rock, a famous monolith in the Department of Chontales, she would point it out to me and say, "There's the donkey... can you see it?" Then she would begin to tell me that many years ago, some imps fell in love with a girl and wouldn't leave her alone all day, hiding her things, pulling her hair, throwing small stones at her. Neither she nor her family could bear them anymore. They were so mischievous that one day they stole a donkey the family owned, and when they went looking for it, they saw it perched on Cuapa's Rock. The desperate mother made a deal with them. They agreed that if they brought down the donkey, she would give them her daughter. When the imps brought down the donkey, the lady didn't fulfill her part of the deal. The imps started bothering them even more. They became unbearable, it was impossible to continue living there. To cut the story short, the family decided to flee from that hell. So, they packed their belongings, loaded the donkey with all sorts of things, and without looking back, they set off. Halfway there, they realized they had forgotten some things and were about to return to fetch them when suddenly they heard little voices from behind the donkey... "No! We've got those things that you forgot right here!" What a scare it was for the poor people! It was none other than those horrible creatures coming after them... Oh, no one easily outwits those rascals!

    I've heard different versions of this legend, but this is how it was narrated to me.

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The myth of the monolith

    Despite the modernity of these times, some inhabitants of Cuapa and the surroundings of La Mica believe in the myths and legends that have been passed down through generations. Among these legends are stories of the Cadejo, the Cegua, pacts made by some locals with the devil, and mysterious riders. The most famous of all is the one about the imps of Cuapa's monolith. A massive rock that can be seen and visited by tourists at the entrance of this city and is also one of the most imposing in the country. According to historian Lazo Barberena, about this monolith, popularly known as "Cuapa's Rock," locals tell that there was a couple who had a very beautiful daughter named Florita. Upon reaching adolescence, the family began to have problems with the imps that inhabited the rock, as they fell in love with the young girl and wanted to take her away. The imps caused havoc in the family's house. Before abducting Florita, the imps had taken a donkey belonging to Don Pablo, the girl's father."

Mercedes Sequeira, La Mica Pre-Columbian Site, La Prensa February 26, 2006.