Jocelyn Cristal Torres Sánchez

The legend of the Charro Negro

The legend of the Charro Negro tells the story of a specter who was once a man and
who, due to his endless ambition, was condemned to suffer the torments of hell and
to be the collector of those who, like him, have outstanding debts with the devil.
When the sun begins to set and chickens climb trees to fall asleep, mothers put their
children in, the doors of houses are barred and travelers hurry their steps while
praying. Nobody wants to meet the Charro Negro. It is an entity that receives its
name from its clothing. Whenever he appears, he wears an elegant black charro
trousseau with gold or silver details. He can be seen mounted on his horse: a large
animal whose eyes are two balls of fire that seem to probe the victim's soul. We city
dwellers are lucky because the Charro Negro only lurks in the far outskirts of the city
and appears before those who travel alone. They say it's because loners are easy
prey. Perhaps it is because of the fear they feel and that sometimes encourages
them to make bad decisions. El Charro came from a humble family. His parents,
although they loved him, could never fulfill his whims. The Charro always liked to be
well dressed, sometimes he did not even eat for days to save a few pesos and with
what he collected, to be able to complete for a good hat. Yet he was tired of his
inexhaustible poverty. No matter how hard he worked, the money was never enough
and he had to walk all day with his hands full of dirt. Tiempo después, murieron sus
padres. Al quedar solo, la miseria del Charro aumentó considerablemente por lo que
tomó una decisión que cambiaría su vida: invocar al diablo para pedirle riqueza. It
is not known how he got it, but eventually, Lucifer showed up. That entity could read
the eyes and the spirit of the man who had called him, so he immediately offered
him amounts of money that he could not spend even in two lives. The only thing he
asked in return was his soul. El Charro, at that time was haughty and brave so the
Morning Star had not managed to scare him and he accepted. Time passed and little
by little the youth of the Charro began to say goodbye. Suddenly he realized that he
was tired of wasting his wealth on women, gambling, wine, and expensive suits. At
the same time, the feeling of loneliness pressed against his chest and he barely let
him breathe. No one loved him for what he was but for the wealth he possessed. El
Jocelyn Cristal Torres Sánchez

Charro had already forgotten about that deal that cursed him. For this reason, when
the devil appeared to remind him that the time for payment was near, he was scared
like never before.