La Mocuana Hill

Estelí · Nicaragua · Natural site

From a cave in the hillside rises La Mocuana — the chieftain's daughter walled in alive, undone by love and betrayal.

The hill at La Trinidad has given its name to one of Nicaragua's best-loved and most feared legends, rooted in the first years of the conquest. A cacique's daughter fell in love with a young Spaniard who was only after her father's gold and showed him where the treasures were hidden; when the father discovered the betrayal he killed the Spaniard and shut his pregnant daughter inside a cave in the hill. She lost her mind in captivity, escaped through a tunnel and, so the legend goes, threw her newborn child into an abyss. Ever since, La Mocuana appears by the roads at night, her face always hidden by her long hair, luring lone travellers toward the cave where she was once imprisoned.

FAQ

Where is La Mocuana Hill located?

La Mocuana Hill is in Estelí, Nicaragua.