The canals of the Imperial Valley

California · United States · House

La Llorona walks the irrigation canals here. The Crying Woman drowned her children and searches the water for them.

The irrigation canals that carry Colorado River water across the Imperial Valley in California are said to be walked by La Llorona, the Crying Woman.

She drowned her own children, and she is heard along the water looking for them.

The version in the original account identifies her as Malinche, the Nahua woman who interpreted for Cortés and bore him a son. That connection is often made and it is not right: Malinche was a real person with a documented life, and the two stories were joined together long afterwards, in a way that has done her memory no favours.

La Llorona is older and far more widespread, told across Mexico and the whole of the American southwest.

Here it is told along the canals for a reason that has nothing to do with folklore. The canals are deep, fast, steep sided and unfenced, and children drown in them. Every parent in the valley knows it, and this is how the warning is passed on.

FAQ

Where is The canals of the Imperial Valley located?

The canals of the Imperial Valley is in California, United States.