Harvey Lopez, until two years ago, was a student at the Universidad National Autónoma de Nicaragua (UNAN) in Managua, studying English on a scholarship. He came to work at the Morgan’s Rock reception at the recommendation of a friend working there at the time, but after one year he became a guide when the position became available. Nowadays he spends his time taking guests on tours or studying the various wildlife books to build his knowledge of local species. These are the same guidebooks that I’ve been using to identify some of the animals in my photographs.

Harvey enjoys sharing popular Nicaraguan countryside myths during nature tours; Latin American lore equivalent to, but a bit less ubiquitous than, the infamous chupacabra. Night walks are especially good tours to tell the tales, since the only illumination comes from flashlights, stars, and reflections in animals’—especially spiders’—eyes, and the stories’ topics fit the dark and quiet atmosphere.

He presents these myths as “creencias,” or beliefs, from small towns like the one he grew up in (Tola, 13km from Rivas):

• Cadejos are a pair of dogs that appear to travelers at night. One is huge and black, and follows you till it finds an opportunity to attack. The white dog is more of a guardian and is supposed to protect you from the evil one. These cadejos commonly appear to men who are walking at night in dark streets, especially those traveling in a state of fear or inebriation.
• Lechuzas, or owls (Harvey says screech owls in particular) are omens of death. When their cry is heard in a village, one is supposed to say “en la otra esquina,” or “on the other block,” to ward the bad fortune off to another area so that one doesn’t wake up dead.
• A duende, which translates as elf, troll, goblin, and sprite, is a supernatural creature that when seen by adults (an uncommon occurrence) appears only as a shimmer in the air. They play with children, specifically those who misbehave, and lure them to their own land (considered by some to be hell). These children are stolen and never seen again. This portrayal of elves or fairy-folk might be as common elsewhere around the world as the chupacabra, but has less of a presence in tabloids and a more mythological nature.
• The ceibón tree, Bombax emarginatum, is a mysterious and often spiny tree that houses the devil. Bad or strange things (creepy sounds, strong winds) happen when someone walks in the woods near the tree by night.
• Chilamate or matapalo, the strangler fig, never has a flower by day. However, if at midnight one is near the strangler fig and a flower falls, one can take it but has to sprint away, to avoid getting caught by demons. The next morning the person will be rich. Note that strangler figs don’t bear a typical flower but instead a green ball with tiny flowers inside the structure that are never exposed.
• If one encounters a dead tinco, or Nicaraguan grackle (type of blackbird), one can take it into a river and deplume it. When the last feather falls into the water it will run upriver, and one must sprint away to successfully avoid the approaching demons and wake up rich the next morning.
• Some people make pacts with the devil so that they use spells to become animals. They put their human skin into a pan with salt and reveal their animal form (pigs or monkeys). These people then come to town at night, walking around the zinc roofs making noise. To know the identity of these malicious animals, one can yell at them to come the next morning for a spoonful of salt. Whoever comes for salt the next day is the culprit.
• There is a story about a thief who was running from the police and was hiding behind a tree. An urraca, or magpie jay, called out to the police and alerted them to the thief’s presence, and did so until the man was caught. For this reason it is said that magpie jays (which are very common on Morgan’s Rock property) follow people around making loud calls, and don’t keep their distance as much as other birds.

Harvey likes the mix of adventure and relaxation that comes from being in the forest showing wildlife to guests. When people seem receptive to these sorts of stories, he enjoys sharing the cultural tales and perhaps learning some foreign folklore himself.