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| Cerro El Muerto. PHOTO: Carlos Santos M. |
The name Cerro del Muerto is due to the fact that, according to the first sailors on the open sea, it looks like a dead body lying down. In ancient times it was considered "heavy" because at 12 o'clock at night a band of music could be heard that produced surprise.
The ancients claim that there was a enchantment there, due to the rumours that were heard at night. It is believed that it was customary to bury the dead there with all their clothes in clay pots.
They say that there were some freshwater wells on the site. People would hear bands of musicians and run away scared. The children who used to go out there would see a light in the form of a lightning bolt that followed the person and then disappeared. The person who saw the light would get goosebumps and his head would grow bigger.
On another occasion, in winter, a large donkey appeared, whose eyes shone in the night, the people who were riding it got lost, the fearful inhabitants no longer wanted to leave their homes.
At midnight, a murmur could be heard, it was the souls that went out to the church to pray and then returned to the cemetery, it seemed that there were quite a few. The people who heard it looked out and saw nothing.
Luis Hernandez Rambay, 1923. The Morro
Collection of traditional tales and legends from the province of Santa Elena
To get to Cerro del Muerto. Starting from Guayaquil, take the highway to the coast to General Villamil (Playas), located 90 kilometers from this city. From Playas, take the road to El Morro. Before reaching the town, on the right side of the road, there is an entrance with the sign: “La Virgen de la Roca”. Continuing along this gravel road, you will reach the parking area. The trip by bus takes approximately two hours and by private car, one and a half hours.
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