Variations

Seeing as the story of El Cucuy has spanned through time and borders, there have been many adaptions and variations. German-American Anthropologist Franz Boas studied this phenomena, Diffusion, how stories like that of El Cucuy change over time as these stories spread from culture to culture. Names range from El Cucuy, El Cucui, El Coco, Cuca, Cuco, and more. In a journal published by the Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences by Marta Pavelková titled Mezinárodní Paralely Postavy Kinderschrecka v Procesu Remediace, the many variations of El Cucuy are discussed. The creature from my childhood stories, El Cucuy, was a Mexican variation described as a cloaked humanlike creature that came in the night. However, Colombia has El Coco, a ghost. In Brazil, Cuca takes the form of a witch, sometimes even taking the form of a large reptilian like in Portugese folklore. Despite these variations and depictions, El Cucuy essentially is the same. A cautionary mythological tale geared towards children to discourage disobedience.