Timeless Stories of El Salvador: The Beginning

Timeless Stories of El Salvador #1

by Federico Navarrete, Marcos Soriano (Illustrator), Elizabeth Toole (Editor)

Every country has its unique stories, and El Salvador is no different. For the first time, the magic of the Salvadoran nights is coming to you in English.

For hundreds of years, parents have shared unique stories with their children, like the twins whom a Shaman transformed into the Cadejos because of their antics, or the vain and beautiful woman who scares bad men in the rivers at night, the Siguanaba.

It's time that you could discover more about the unique Salvadoran folklore and transport yourself to a new land.

Are you ready to travel in time and discover El Salvador?


This volume includes:

- The good and the bad Cadejo
- The Siguanaba
- Cipitio
- The Headless Priest
- The Black Knight
- The Guirola Family
- The Partideño
- The Squeaky Wagon
- The Owls- The Lady of the Rings
- The Cuyancua
- The Fair Judge of the Night
- The Managuas
- Chasca “The virgin of the water”
- The Fleshless Woman
- The Enchanted Ulupa Lagoon
- Our Lady Saint Anne
- The Midnight Yeller
- The Lempa River
- Devil’s Door
- Comizahual “The white woman”
- Izalco Volcano
- The Moon’s Cave
- The Amate Tree
- The Pig Witch
- The Tabudo
- Mr. Money and Mrs. Fortune
- Princess Naba and the Balsam Tree
- The Tamales Woman of Cuzcachapa Lagoon
- The Living Rock of Nahuizalco
- Alegria Lagoon Siren

171 pages, Paperback

Published November 26, 2020

About the author

Federico Navarrete is a Spanish-Salvadoran technovator, storyteller, and traveler with a passion for building a better world through innovation. He has lived in El Salvador, the United States, Poland, Spain, and Luxembourg—and traveled to over 20 countries—gaining deep cultural insight along the way, especially during his work at the European Commission and Infosys.

An award-winning innovator, Federico has won several international contests, including the Cisco Switch-Up Challenge (2016), the D&I Hackathon (2020), and Citython Eindhoven (2021). He is also a skilled public speaker and elevator pitcher with over a decade of experience, having delivered pitches and talks before global tech leaders, including representatives from Cisco and Microsoft. He has also led and organized events with Toastmasters International.

Driven by a desire to shift the global narrative about his homeland, Federico created Timeless Stories of El Salvador—the first series of Salvadoran folkloric books published in English. Each volume shares 31 traditional tales that have been passed down orally for generations.

Federico believes that we all have the power to be our own heroes—and encourages others to discover the strength within themselves.

Reviews

[Taylor Hubbard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because my family is from El Salvador and I am woefully ignorant to the folktales from that country. So to teach myself more, I picked this up.

It was an an absolute delight, because every story was full of flavor and the supernatural, which I love so much.

Definitely a must read.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written showing history of El Salvador rich folklore history including modern and ancient ones. The characters are very memorable and intriguing. There are a lot of lessons to learn and great horror stories here.

[Rodrigo Navarrete · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing, all the stories become real, its pure magic!. When start reading you can't stop, it involves you into all the Salvadoran history and knowledge pass generation to generation.

[Federico Navarrete · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the result of many years of researching about my country El Salvador. It's unique since I included several stories from well-known ones like the Guirola Family to unknown ones like the Enchanted Ulupa Lagoon.

My main goal in writing this book was to change the perspective that the world has about El Salvador. Showing to the world that we are more than just wars, drugs, and violence.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this. I appreciate the author turning many stories into a book, several of the stories seemed very similar. I'm not sure if it was written in Spanish then translated into English but it could use a bit of editing. I would recommend this to those familiar with Salvadoran culture that want to learn about some of their legends.

[Carrey 🍓 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hermosa recopilación de historias y leyendas de El Salvador. Algunos los conocía, otros eran nuevos para mí. Me encanta aprender más sobre mi pueblo salvadoreño a través de libros como este.

Este libro tenía una buena cantidad de cuentos, cada uno de ellos único e interesante por derecho propio. Recomiendo altamente este libro.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 ¡Cinco de cinco estrellas!

[Rike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant collection of short stories from El Salvador, that offers a fascinating glimpse into the country’s legends and myths. I found each story to be well-written, engaging, and rich with cultural depth, which made it such an enjoyable and accessible read.

10/10 recommend :)

[Zsa Zsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting folktales from El Salvador
The writing is simple but the stories are not