The mythical monster, El Cuco is used to frighten children. The stories of El Cuco are used in hopes of keeping the young ones off the streets late at night or to make them go to sleep.
Interpretation of El Cuco by Artist-Illustrator Ray Wu with a little political humor to lighten the mood of this faceless child snatching creature
El Cuco is a mythical monster whose origins can be traced to Spain.
The legend of El Cuco is used throughout Spain and Latin America as a tool to frighten children to keep them off the streets late at night and to make them go to sleep. It is very similar to the Boogy Man in USA.
There is no real description of this mythical being. It is as if El Cuco has no form or shape. It is just a being that is more felt than seen. It is said he is able to shape-shift into all sorts of creatures. He can be your favorite animal or a nondescript shadow moving across the floor. El Cuco can become a horrible monster or make himself so small that he can slip through a crack, hide under the bed or in the closet.
El Cuco in Dominican Republic
In Dominican Republic El Cuco roams the streets and alleys looking for kids to take away in his sack. He can take the form of a hobo or homeless man. Parents and grandparents alike tell the children if they do not go to sleep and fast that El Cuco will come and take them. Even worse, if they are out roaming the streets unsupervised, El Cuco will stuff them in his sack and take them away. He is known to eat some children too.
Be careful if you can’t sleep and you see a shadow with eyes glowing passing near your bed. Also, remember to never roam the empty streets alone. If you see a faceless man with a big sack it could be El Cuco….
*A few artists have used the name. Cuco Valoy, a Dominican salsa and merengue singer makes many references to El Cuco. Tonio Rosario has an album named “La Magia de El Cuco”. There is a trip music festival in Puerto Rico that uses the name of this nocturnal faceless creature.
According to the República Dominicana history at the end of the 18th century there existed an assassin whose crimes were so bloodthirsty he was named the El Comegente or the People Eater.
Interpretation of Come Hombre / Comegente by Artist-Illustrator Ray Wu
The bloodthirsty criminal El Comegente is said to look like an Indian with long black hair and small features. His body is well proportioned according to his size except for his feet, which were very small.
For a long time the people were terrified of Comegente because his crimes were so atrocious and horrifying. The story is told that he went to Haiti to learn the ways of witchcraft. He could be in many places at one time. He was able to cross the entire country in a night by using supernatural means.
The story says that he killed his victims using some sort of club. He could not be caught once his feet touched the water because when this occurred he immediately disappeared. He always left a putrid and nauseating scent in his wake.
The people had enough. They were tired of being afraid. They decided to band together and search for this assassin. He was finally trapped by a country farmer using a rattan witch basket called bejuco de brujas. The farmer tied up the Comegente and took him to the capital where he was condemned to death and executed.
This is not the humorous One-eyed, one-horned, flyin’ purple people eater creature from the song that Sheb Wooly made famous in 1958. This People Eater is what legends are made of and it is said that he still roams the countryside with club in hand…
The chupacabra is (supposedly) alien in origin and was brought here by a UFO. It is a living creature that looks like a hunched alien with a line of sharp spikes down the middle of it’s back exactly where the spine is located. It has gray skin that is part fur and part feathers. It has short arms ending with long nasty claws. Its legs are like a kangaroos. The chupacabra is said to be about 4 feet tall when standing erect. This gray being has huge red elongated glowing eyes, the better to see you with. They are said to be very powerful and people have reported seeing the chupacabra fly.
Could this be the real Chupacabra?
Creatures fitting this description were said to be spotted first in Puerto Rico in the mid-1990s. Then, a few years later, the chupacabra started showing up in Mexico, South Florida, Central America, and South America including the Dominican Republic. Although few people have actually claimed to see a real chupacabra many claim to have seen the works of this blood sucking alien being. Blaming the Goat Sucker for many domestic animals (cattle, goats, etc) that have been found dead with two holes on their neck. Their blood drained and their organs sucked out as well.
Or maybe this be the real Chupacabra?
Whether such a creature exists is a great topic of debate. Some of the happenings are probably pranks, yet there is a possibility of such a creature living with no humans have ever encountered it. Some people think it could be a bat-like creature. This small fast moving evil creature has been spotted on the roadsides and in fields. It seems to be frightened when hit by the light beams of a car or flashlight.
Is this a Chupacabra?
It is said that the goat sucker will also pray on sleeping humans. So, try not to sleep to soundly. You never know what type of alien being may be lurking, waiting. Waiting to take your life’s blood….
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