The words love and tragedy are usually the protagonists of most of the Mexican legends. Sighs, longings, intrigues, beauty, destiny and death are the perfect ingredients to put in a cocktail shaker, which, well shaken, creates myths, which today continue to be transmitted from generation to generation and constitute important and fundamental pillars of culture. Popular Mexican and it is that, the ancestral tradition commands when explaining the creation of the world.
This time, we want to tell you about a somewhat sad Mexican legend of love: the Basaseachi Waterfall. Warning: its ending will leave you with a slightly bitter taste… Are you ready?
Sad Mexican legend of love
- Many years ago, when the Spanish had not yet crossed the great ocean and had not reached American lands, the great Candameña chief ruled in Chihuahua. Master and lord of the Alta Tarahumara, he managed to give peace and prosperity to his people from him. The days followed one another and well-being reigned. However, the non-conformist character of men fueled his aspirations. He wanted to grow up, to be bigger and more powerful. And of course, the quick answer to gain more territory is always war. He sent scouts around and after studying various strategies he knew that blood would be spilled and many young men would die. He dared not take the step that could end in destruction. Finally, the beauty of his daughter gave him the answer: love is more powerful than war and also creates more stable and lasting alliances.
- Basaseachi was a very beautiful young woman, so much so that the clouds, in her path, used to hide the sun so that it could not damage the whiteness of her skin. Those who knew her talked about how she always smelled of spring and how the wind played with her hair to wave it and give it shine.
- His father, Candameña, put his hand up for sale: his daughter would marry an important heir who would add more land to his people. There were many suitors who attended the appointment. The casting focused more on the fortune that the young people could bring than on the personal virtues that could make Basaseachi a happy woman. It was a simple business and marketing, but yes, to silence a bad conscience, she was wrapped in the cellophane of love.
- After days and days of parades of suitors, only four managed to become firm candidates: Tónachi, the lord of the peaks; Pamachi, the man who comes from beyond the ravines; Areponápuchi, the one of the green valleys; and Carichi, the one with the filigrees on the face of the wind. The decision was not going to be easy. For this reason, Candameña devised a gymkhana of tests, each one more difficult. And it is that, giving the love of a daughter should not be done lightly.
This is how the Basaseachi Waterfall was born in Chihuahua (Mexico)
- Exhausted and out of breath on many occasions, the candidates gradually passed the tests. There was only one left to go. And this one was so difficult, hard and dangerous that the four young men ended up meeting with death. That was how desolation flooded the heart of Basaseachi, who understood that he could never marry and find the love of a man. Therefore, hypnotized by her pain and sadness, she climbed the high hills of Alta Tarahumara to jump into the void.
- Her father, a direct witness to what was happening, sensed the intentions of taking his daughter’s life. And as death approached, Candameña ordered the village witch to cast a spell so that his daughter would not die. There was little time to think and react. However, the witch managed to cast a spell on the young lady when she separated her feet from the ground and flew into the void.
- Since then, Basaseachi has been turned into a beautiful waterfall with crystal clear and deep water. Today it is still present and alive, flowing freely to the delight of a proud people and a curious tourist. 246 meters of free fall make this permanent waterfall the highest in Mexico and it is located at the top of the Sierra Madre Occidental, within the Cascada de Basaseachi National Park since 1981.