University of Guayaquil – School of Language and Linguistics

England and American Literature

Tutor: Msc. Beatriz Loor

The legend takes place during the middle of century XVII in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

 Guayaquil had expanded in these years due the dispersion of inhabitants towards the city port, who in wedge formation turned to Guayaquil in motor of the Ecuadorian freedom and emporium of wealth.

The city at the end of century XVII had 4,000 habitants and occupied the reduced space between the hill Santa Ana and the matting of Villamar (Loja street) and from the border of the Guayas river to the arms of El Salado. This saturation moved to the neighbors to think about a new change and it moved towards the south, to Port Cazones or Sabaneta (between the present streets Illinghworth and Diez de Agosto).

The city was formed in New City and Old City and the marshy zone that separated both parts will save by a wooden bridge constructed towards 1710 that crossed the five matting or arms of the sea that crossed the area. After several repairs, the town hall orders to replace it by a spotted road that finalized two years later.

 

At this time, the houses were of quicha and ceilings of roofing tile, with porches that still today comprise of the urban personality of Guayaquil. Its utility was enormous when allowing to the walkers circular safe from the sun and the rain. The streets until half-full of century XVIII lacked paving, reason why at time of rains, they were impossible to journey.

The legend of “The Veiled Lady” appears like a popular belief of year 1700 in Guayaquil. This legend tells the history of a lady who appeared around the average night, but only single womanizing men that returned to their houses, at the height of the old cemetery by the place called Boca del Pozo, when walking through the descent of the Santo Domingo church in the Old City.

 The people affirmed but of once, that The Veiled Lady was a very beautiful young of the city, daughter of coffee lands properties, who was jeopardize by several years with a Spanish retailer.

He had to go and come from the Iberian peninsula, but that in one of his long trips, a relative of the young lady discovered to him in love affairs with a girl, daughter of Spanish retailers that had taken root in Jipijapa, a corner located to the south of the province of Manabí, that also traveled frequently to Spain to help her parents.

 

Then, when her relative returned to Guayaquil told everything to the family of the beautiful young, she after finding out the deceit key in a deep desolation and a month later died of depression. The young Spanish returned later weeks of the death to request excuses to her, but in short, already was too much behind schedule. Since then, people said, to her soul vague by the streets of Guayaquil taking revenge her deceit, and then she has not been able to rest in peacefully because they said that between all those single womanizing men, she looked for that young retailer who destroyed her heart, without knowledge that after her death, he also died of fault.  

 One says that The Veiled Lady, is a being of unknown origin that appeared in hours near the midnight to the people who not very frequented concurred alleys.

 

According to stories related by many people about these events, a young stranger appeared to them, dressing an elegant dress the time, with fancy fan, but something very particular in her was that it took his face covered with a veil, who did not allow that the victims recognized it.

When being near the Lady, one says that it dismissed his surroundings an pleasant fragrance, and for that reason, almost all those that saw it were hit when seeing it and to be near her. She signaled so that they followed

it and, in critical moment, the victims acceded to the cause but she did not allow that the sufficient thing approached to them. Thus, it moved away them of the urban center and in remote places it began to stop.

Later when the victims approached to discover to him the face , a nauseous scent contaminated the atmosphere, and when seeing their face still appreciated a corpse in rotting process, which had eyes that seemed sparkling fire balls.Most of the victims they died, some by the scare and others by the horrible fragrance that emanated the phantom when becoming. Few men survived and in the popular culture they called “Tunantes”.

From those events, there are some that say that later even it journeys by the alleys by the nights.

The cultural identity of Ecuador constitutes a set of values, traditions, symbols, beliefs and ways of behaviors of Ecuadorian and a fundamental part of our identity constitute their myths and legends.

The oral tradition recreates to us when child, sometimes amusingly and others with scare. To enjoy the stories that our grandparents listened as well of their greater and these of them, allows us to know a part of our history that to the single so distant being we can value through the narrations. These legends take to the oral tradition by chroniclers J. Pino Roca and Modesto Chávez Franco.

The legend of “The Veiled Lady” exists from the time of the Colony and is a sample of which the women occupy an important space in the legends and myths of the Ecuadorian culture.

This legend created through the time by the popular talent, reflects a little of folklore, myths and customs of the Guayaquil city at middle of century XVII, it is been in the local culture and it was a form to remember at the “Tunantes” that they had to behave or, to be faithful husbands or fiancés and not to abuse the nights of celebration.

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www.dipromepg.efemerides.ec