Every state has its own urban legends, but I think it’s safe to say Texas has the most given its size and rich history. Some of them are silly and totally unrealistic while others, like the legend of La Llorona, are plausible even to the biggest skeptics.

Everyone who grew up in West or South Texas heard this story throughout their childhood (and probably spent many a night lying awake with the covers pulled up to their neck because of it), and for them, the ghostly woman is much more than lore – she’s real. This is her story, and it will chill you to the bone.

The legend of La Llorona, which means “The Crier” in Spanish, originated in El Paso.

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Her baby was her entire world…

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…that is, until she met her boyfriend.

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You see, La Llorona was a widow, and she was convinced she would never find love again.

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Much to her surprise, she found a man rather quickly. However, before she could even tell him about her baby, he shattered her heart by mentioning that he never wanted children.

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She was devastated. In a fit of desperation, she drowned her son in the Rio Grande River as soon as night fell.

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She rushed over to her man’s house to tell him what she had done in hopes that he would admire her dedication and stay with her forever, but he was obviously mortified.

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He told her that he never wanted to see her again. Completely lost and alone without her love or her baby, she drowned herself in the very spot where her own flesh and blood perished just hours before.

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Now, she haunts the streets of West Texas searching for the two loves she left behind. So if you’re driving near the river at night and see a woman in a white dress, don’t make eye contact or stop under any circumstances…even if she appears to be crying.

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Have you heard the legend of La Llorona? What are some other creepy urban legends in Texas that you heard growing up?

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Flickr/abhijit chendvankar

Flickr/Giuseppe Milo

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Flickr/markseton

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