In South Texas and Mexico folklore, La Lechuza appears in the form of a massive owl usually described with the face of an old woman. The myth of La Lechuza is that she is a witch who sold her soul to the devil. She always appears outside of the home, looking in windows, on the roof, or in a nearby tree. La Lechuza looks for disobedient or unbaptized children, vagrants, and those who harm others. The legend warns that harming or killing La Lechuza while she is in the form of the owl will turn her back into human form. Other legends believe salt or the Seven Blessed Prayer will convert La Lechuza back into a woman.
Maria I. (Lisa) Huerta is a library assistant at UTRGV University Library Special Collections & Archives. She has over 20 years experience working in a academic library, starting with an internship at UTPA Special Collections and Archives in 1996. Lisa has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a minor in history (UTPA 1997). Lisa enjoys assisting students and patrons with local history research and genealogy. She is particularly proud of her work with cataloging, processing, and digitizing the LRGV map collection.