La Llorona Chautauqua Performance with Rosalia de Aragon

Saturday, November 6, 2004 2:00 p.m. 

Saturday, November 6, at 2 p.m., Rosalia de Aragon will bring her one-woman Chautauqua performance of La Llorona to the Millicent Rogers Museum.  Out of the Middle Ages comes the tragic legend of La Llorona, la fantasma zozobrante or the anguished spirit, which is the most popular story from Hispanic New Mexico lore.  This story, told and retold for generations, is especially prevalent in the mountain villages of northern New Mexico where La Llorona is not a disembodied, frightening spirit, but rather the story of a local young woman who lived, loved, and died a tragic death.  She later appeared as a wandering, crying ghost.  It is said that La Llorona’s spine chilling cries can be heard late at night as she roams dark valleys and waterways throughout New Mexico.

Rosalia de Aragon’s performance is drawn from her research of many different versions of the folk tale.  She tells the story in dialogue, song, and dance.  The audience will meet La Llorona as a young woman and experience her transformation into a ghost.  The drama of La Llorona is sponsored by the Millicent Rogers Museum and the New Mexico Humanities Council and is dedicated to the preservation of the folk traditions, heritage, and culture of Hispanics in northern New Mexico.