La Llorona

Guitarist Pat Mendoza recorded this poetic retelling of the story of La Llorona, the Weeping Woman. In this haunting version, he equates La Llorona to La Malinche, but also suggests that versions of the tale are connected to bodies of water throughout the Mexican cultural sphere.

The ubiquitous nature of the legend is revealed in its use as part of the edgy "Got Milk" campaign. This version aired in 2004:


UPDATE (June 8, 2013)

I recently learned -- from my favorite librarian -- of La Llorona in a bit of slam poetry, in which she is a metaphor for the victimization of youth by drug addiction. Because the audio is not perfect in the clip below, it may be helpful to read the text of No Longer a Myth before listening. But definitely listen, as Olivia Gatwood really delivers the "llora" in this piece:



Lagniappe

And to complete the set, a chilling rendering of the story by the inimitable Tish Hinojosa.