Latin American folklore

The Day of the Dead is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember amusing events and anecdotes about the departed. It is widely observed in Mexico, where it largely developed, and is also observed in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage. The observance falls during the Christian period of Allhallowtide. Some argue that there are Indigenous Mexican or ancient Aztec influences that account for the custom, though others see it as a local expression of the Allhallowtide season that was brought to the region by the Spanish; the Day of the Dead has become a way to remember those forebears of Mexican culture. The Day of the Dead is largely seen as having a festive characteristic.

thumb|upright|200px|Gaucho from Argentina, photographed in Peru, 1868 A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol mainly in Argentina and Uruguay but also in Paraguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, southern Bolivia, and southern Chile. Gauchos became greatly admired and renowned in legend, folklore, and literature and became an important part of their regional cultural tradition. Beginning late in the 19th century, after the heyday of the gauchos, they were celebrated by South American writers.

phantom island

municipality in Puerto RIco

In Mesoamerican and Toltec spiritual traditions, a Nagual (from the Nahuatl word nāhualli) refers to a human being who can access spiritual power through transformation or deep connection with their tonal counterpart. This ability is not merely about shapeshifting but also about guiding spiritual development and fostering personal transformation by bridging the physical and metaphysical realms.

thumb|right|José Jiménez Aranda (1837–1903): The Bullring (1870)

250px|thumb|Couple dancing a chacarera in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Chacarera is a dance and music that originated in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. It is a genre of folk music that, for many Argentines, serves as a rural counterpart to the cosmopolitan imagery of the Tango. A dance form played by contemporary musicians as soloists or in small ensembles of voice, guitar, violin and bombo drum, the Chacarera is often legitimized by its “origin” in the remote province of Santiago del Estero.

Mexican outlaw (1829–1853)

great mayan emperor

Mexican folk hero (1870-1909)

novel by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo

thumb|Duendecitos by Francisco Goya, 1799 thumb|Model of a duende

type of mythical character said to carry naughty children away in bags

Venezuelan female deity

thumb|A painting depicting a chonchon. The Chonchon ( from ), also known as the Tue-Tué, is a mythical creature found in Mapuche religion, as well as in the folk mythologies of Chile and southern Argentina.

thumb|Curandera performing a limpieza in Cuenca, Ecuador

mythical source of silver in the interior of South America

thumb|right|250px|alt=Parachico|Parachico dancer The Parachico or Parachicos are traditional dancers from Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico, who dance on the streets of the town during the Grand Fiesta festivities, which take place from January 15 to 23 every year. The festival honors the local patron saints the Black Christ of Esquipulas, Saint Anthony Abbot, and Saint Sebastian. It is claimed locally that, like many of the Catholic festivals in Latin America, it has its roots in the much older indigenous culture. So it has developed into a hybrid of old indigenous culture and newer Catholic a

title of the Virgin Mary

character from Spanish and Latin American (especially Chilean, Mexican, and Guatemalan) folklore that typifies the rogue, rascal or trickster.

style of Argentine music and the associated dance

religious tract written in Nahuatl, published in Mexico City in 1649

Calafia, or Califia, is the fictional queen of the island of California, first introduced by 16th century poet Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo in his epic novel of chivalry, Las sergas de Esplandián (The Adventures of Esplandián), written around 1510. She is the namesake of the California region encompassing the U.S. state of California and the Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur.