Devil's Alley until recently was a narrow
passage just a short distance from what is now
downtown Mexico City . It started
in the clearing of Calle San Martin
and merged into Calle La Zanja.
That alley with the ominous name consisted of a dark
passageway, lined with leafy trees, which also went
through a solitary walkway.
In that place there was a humble shack, with no
modern services and inhabited by a man suffering of
tuberculosis, a common sickness at that time.
It’s therefore understandable that–whether because
of the patient, the name of the alley or perhaps due
to the darkness, few people ventured to enter
during the day–and much less – after sunset, when
the gloomy darkness reigned.
People also said that at the struck of midnight
the Devil himself would appear in the famous alley.
Many feared and avoided it but for many young people
it was also a source of excitement and thrill.
On one occasion, a brave man wanting to display his
courage ignored all the warnings and, after a
pleasant gathering of friends, challenged them to go
through the passage. No one took on his
challenged so he ventured alone.
He
walked slowly and when almost halfway a
figure leaning against the trunk of a tree startled
him. He froze for a second but
quickly resolved to keep on going. He thought
to himself: -“So, outlaws want to attack me, eh?
We’ll see about that!”
Clenching his hands into fists, he went resolutely
toward the figure. He was already within a few
feet of the individual when, suddenly a
strange light illuminated the path and before his
eyes a horrendous being appeared, laughing
malignantly.
The young man felt the earth sinking under his feet,
he was terrified but driven by his amazing instinct
of survival, he ran and managed to narrowly escape
from a terrible death.
The news about the devil in the alley rapidly
circulated among the people and quickly
reached others who’d also been
frightened by the monstrous specter. If the
alley was rarely transited during the day after that
incident no one dared go through it after sunset,
not even by mistake!
Soon, the authorities decided to take matters into
their own hands and consulted with an expert in
spirits and diabolic apparitions. The wise man
told them that the only way to stop the demon from
leaving his refuge in the ally and terrorizing
the community, they had to take him daily offerings
of jewels and gold coins. The presents would have to
be placed under the tree.
At
first no one wanted to be the first to enter the
alley, but eventually they went in groups but
only during the day. They rapidly left the
gifts just as they had been instructed.
The odd thing is that the superstitious ones that
would leave the new offerings each morning noted
that the items left the day before had disappeared,
which only confirmed their conviction that the devil
was pleased with the gifts provided by the people.
It didn’t take long before the mystery reached the
ears of two burly fishermen who were visiting the
town. Sailors who–after having survived fierce
storms, dangerous journeys and countless sea
legends, found this story of the alley a mere
child’s tale.
“What
do you think about the devil in Calle San
Martin?”- said the more experienced sailor
to his buddy and continued– "I think
something’s fishy "- "that devils seems more like a
thief to me!" as far as I’m concerned, the good
children of God, should be protected. His
sheep shouldn't be robbed, not even by
Beelzebub himself."
Determined to stop the legend from spreading even
more, and preventing the embezzlement from
continuing any longer, they decided to end what they
considered to be no more than a myth.
That same night, precisely at the stroke of
midnight; two silhouettes bravely entered the
dreadful alley… As usual, the alleged devil waited
patiently by the tree to instill terror from the
beyond upon anyone that would risk entering his
domains.
He was
ready to surprise the two sailors when suddenly, the
light of a torch appeared and he saw a hairy
apparition; it had black horns and a long tail. It
surely looked like the Satan himself.
Still
recovering from the shock; he suddenly felt a fire
stinging his buttocks that burned his insides: it
was a red-hot poker which had been skillfully
applied in that region by one of the sailors who’d
attacked him from behind.
A prisoner now of indescribable panic, the supposed
demon only managed to say – “Oh Jesus; the devil
wants to take me away”! Uttering terrible cries of
pain; he raced away as fast as he could.
The two sailors roared with laughter as they removed
the costumes they’d made especially for the
occasion.
The following night the fishermen were back in the
alley again, to check if some unfortunate
"malevolent being" returned but, although they stood
guard until dawn; no one ever appeared in that
place again.
Days later news spread of a well-known local
character who was struggling between life and death
from a strange and sudden illness. He had sores and
burns apparently caused by deep burns.
Some
time after, the now healthy individual– who in the
people's opinion was none other than that "fake
devil"– repented of his sins and donated loads of
jewelry to an institution for the poor, including
what many knew were the same jewels that
they’d offered long ago to the devil by the tree.
Today, all that remains as a reminder of the events
occurred is the suggestive name of Devil's Alley
with which the sinister nook was known for many
years. This alley finally disappeared
when the picturesque network of roads in Mexico
City’s Historic District gave way to the modern
Metropolitan area we know today.
