#1

Maria Cacao, a mountain enchantress who was known to travel on a golden ship
and lend beautiful tableware to the town.

In this story you will find the importance of trust and honesty, especially when it
comes to borrowing and returning things.

Maria cacao put complete faith and trusts in the people who borrowed her
belongings, until they disappointed her.

The legend of Maria Cacao become so popular that different versions of the story
and similar tales where told in various parts of Cebu like Argao, Dalaguete, Talisay
and Balamban, the Region and throughout the country, like Bohol, Leyte and
Mindanao.

Despite the many different version of the story they all share the same lesson in
taking care of others belongings and returning what we borrowed, especially
valuing trust.

The legend of Maria Cacao, a long time ago, there was an enchantress call Maria
cacao, who lived in the cave of Lantoy, on the highest mountain of Argao, some
described her as an elderly enchantress who led the Enchantados, but whether old
or young they said that she was very beautiful, lovely, graceful and had a rosy
cheeks and long flowing hair, she also owns a cacao plantation with many apotic
crops, this explains her name, Maria Cacao. She was friendly and nice, though she
lives high up the mountain she often comes down the mountain on a full moon and
appeared to the people. She was also very generous and willing lent money and
objects to her people. They would simply call her name and state their request on
the entrance of the cave and the things they wish to borrow where delivered to
their doorstep the following day.

Maria Cacao also lived with a giant named mangao, who owned a massive golden
galleon. She often uses the Golden Galleon to travel down the mountain, sail
through the river on her way to faraway lands like America to export her cacao.
Upon her return, she would bring beautiful chinaware and silverware and lend this
to the people for weddings, fiestas and other celebrations.

Since the galleon so big, she had to wait until it rained hard so the river was deep
enough for her ship to sail. Whenever the boat passes the towns bridg, the
structure would collapse because parts of the boat would snag the bridge and the
towns folk had to build the bridge again and again… and again. Some say, the big
galleon carry handsome and beautiful men, women and children said to be
enchantados who cheerfully dance, talk and make jokes as they travel the river.
They say the enchantados took delight when the bridges collapse. Whenever the
boat approach the bridge they all stop what they were doing to watch and cheer as
the structure fell before their eyes. When he Americans came after the war, they
decided to build stronger bridge made of concrete. But the towns people warned
them that the galleon would only ruin the structure again, knowing all too well after
years and years of rebuilding the bridge.

“YOU NEED TO BUILD A STRONGER AND HIGHER BRIDGE SO MARIA’S CACAO

GALLEON WILL BE ABLE TO PASS THROUGHT IT” the people said.

They pushed through their plans for a new bridge and they were finally able to build
one that’s strong and high for Maria Cacao’s boat. They say an American engineer
went to lantoy cave and spoke to Maria Cacao. He offered her money and other
items; in exchange she would no longer pass the bridge so that the new one made
of concrete would never be destroy again. Some say Maria Cacao agreed to their
request and left town because the people broke her trust, failing to return the
things they borrowed. It could either be that they forgot or simply refuse to return
the items. Since then, the bridge in argao has remained intact, despite big floods
due to storm, and the beautiful maiden was never seen again.

Locals speculate that whenever the bridge collapses in a neighboring town it meant
that Maria Cacao was traveling to and from her new home.

Another tale in dulaguete offers a different narrative of Maria Cacao, but still
focuses on the same problem of honesty and loss of trust as the reason as why she
was never seen again.

Maria Cacao regularly visited the spring of dinagyung baranggay Obong Dalagute,
to feed a giant shrimp there. One day a strong flood carried the shrimp away down
straight to the town. This forced Maria Cacao to look and ask the towns people if
they had seen the giant shrimp. She valued it very much and even considered it as
her pet. Some says because it was the source of her powers. She was so desperate
to find the trails of her shrimp and even hoped that the teeth of the shrimp could be
recovered. Unfortunately, Maria Cacao found no luck in finding it. What she didn’t
know was that the towns people roasted and ate the giant shrimp and kept it a
secret from her.

There are other versions of the story in some, she is known to kidnap people to
keep as her servants if she finds them out at night. She is even known to host
parties in her golden boat with other encantadas (enchanters) where they watch
the destruction of the local bridge as they pass it. In others, she is a militant leader
of an enchanted naval army who bombs the local river bridge that is made through
the forced labour of Filipinos by our colonizers.
This only demonstrates the evolution of our folktales, reflecting our perception of
the times and adjusting to the present conditions of our environment. In recent
years, there are even revivals of the Maria Cacao tales where sightings of her
golden boat were presumably spotted during Typhoon Sendong and Haiyan. They
claim she invites those stranded in the typhoon onto the boat, but in doing so,
takes their souls to the next world, echoing tales of ships for the dead.

#2

Maria Cacao is a goddess in Mount Lantoy in the island of Cebu. Her name is
associated with the tablea, which is Spanish for tablet. Tablea is made out of cacao
beans that are roasted, ground and formed into tablets. Maria Cacao is a diwata
who lived in a cave on Mount Lantoy, Argao. She owns a plantation where villagers
from Argao get their cacao from. Each time she harvests, she and Mangao whould
bring produce to other islands and countries on a golden boat. They leaves at dawn
when the villagers were still sleeping. Villagers would know that they set sail when
the bridge in the river destroys, causing it to overflow. When they came back, they
would bring items from other places. These items Maria brought lend them to the
villagers, who would write whatever item they want to borrow and leave them at
the cave entrance. When they return the next day, te said items would be there.
Maria lent different items, from clothes, spoons, forks, plates and other utensils, all
of which were made of gold. However, people began to return the items already
broken or they would never return these items. This made Maria decide not to let
the villagers borrow from her anymore. She did not show herself to villagers and
people stopped believing in the existence of the goddess.

There are other versions of the story in some, she is known to kidnap people to
keep as her servants if she finds them out at night. She is even known to host
parties in her golden boat with other encantadas (enchanters) where they watch
the destruction of the local bridge as they pass it. In others, she is a militant leader
of an enchanted naval army who bombs the local river bridge that is made through
the forced labour of Filipinos by our colonizers.

This only demonstrates the evolution of our folktales, reflecting our perception of
the times and adjusting to the present conditions of our environment. In recent
years, there are even revivals of the Maria Cacao tales where sightings of her
golden boat were presumably spotted during Typhoon Sendong and Haiyan. They
claim she invites those stranded in the typhoon onto the boat, but in doing so,
takes their souls to the next world, echoing tales of ships for the dead.