A culture rich in folktales

Karina Rodriguez | THE RIDER

Folktales are stories that can help preserve Hispanic culture. They originate from oral pieces that have been passed down from generation to generation. The transcending nature of the stories means they can teach us about the time and place in which they were originally told.

The Rider asked three UTRGV students to read a folktale and respond to it.

Three of the most beloved Hispanic folktales are “Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story” by Tomie dePaola, “Doña Flor” by Pat Mora and “The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote” by Tony Johnston. 

The story of “Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story” follows a young girl named Adelita, who has to endure the horrendous treatment under her stepmother Señora Micaela de la Fortuna, and her two daughters. The story is a Mexican retelling of the classic fairytale, Cinderella. 

“I liked that it was a different take on ‘Cinderella’ and how even though ‘Cinderella’ is a fairytale, this story made it seem more real,” said mass communication senior Cielo Cruz.

One of the major appeals of folktales is that they allow readers to read about characters that they relate to. As Hispanics, sometimes it is hard to find representation in the media, but these folktales allow them to do just that. 

“I do believe that they are important because it is part of having Mexican roots,” Cruz said. “Sometimes I feel disconnected to my roots because I feel that now, as an adult, I have lost the sense of my culture. Folktales allow me to lean more into those roots.”

The story “Doña Flor” is about a giant woman who is beloved by her neighbors in her pueblo. A giant puma begins to taunt the villagers, and Flor is the first to jump in and investigate what is going on. 

“I loved this story; it was not what I was expecting! I love how the images followed the story, and I also love how they depicted Doña Flor,” biomedical sciences senior Ingrid Aleman said.

Growing up, Aleman got a very different taste of Hispanic folktales.

“I actually did grow up reading folktales, but they were mainly the scary ones! My family always used to scare us with ‘La Llorona’ or ‘El Coco.’”

Many Hispanic households tell folktales because they are not only for entertainment, but also teach children important morals. 

“In my opinion, the moral of the folktale was to remind us to always help our community and those around us,” Aleman said. “There are things that we might be able to fix and others that we cannot. We should help one another while living in a safe place and in harmony.” 

Folktales also help people preserve happy memories of good times and loved ones.

“This story reminded me of my grandma, who I love!” Aleman said. “My grandma literally takes care of the whole family, just like Doña Flor.” 

She also gave an insightful opinion on how folktales could hurt the Hispanic culture. 

“I think Hispanic folktales could and could not preserve our culture,” Aleman said. “It really depends on the intentions of the author and if they actually have a background on the culture. Some could be very stereotypical and could add to the negative associations within Hispanic culture.”

In “The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote,” Coyote is tired of being taunted by Rabbit. By the end of it, Rabbit escapes, and Coyote is left stranded in a canyon. 

“What I enjoyed most about the story was no matter the situation Rabbit was in, he was able to convince Coyote of doing something he would not normally do,” biology junior Allison Cabrera said.

For Cabrera, folktales are a powerful way that she can connect to her culture while understanding the times of the past. 

“I do believe that folktales preserve the culture because society is changing quite rapidly, and folktales retell the stories of our ancestors and bring us back to the simplest times before there was technology but when there was only the word of mouth,” she said.

Overall, folktales are good and entertaining ways that children can learn important values and morals to follow throughout their lives. 

“I do think Hispanic folktales are important to continue telling,” Cabrera said. “Many of these folktales have underlying messages, which are the morals of the story of what one should do and avoid.”