El Callejón del Aguacate
Aguacate 19-31, Santa Catarina, Coyoacán, 04010 Ciudad de México, CDMX
Sometimes blending the old with the scary seems like a recurring theme throughout many parts of Mexico City. One such place that’s both very old and apparently haunted is the Callejón del Aguacate in the Barrio de Santa Catarina neighborhood in Delegación Coyoacán, this narrow cobblestone alleyway that isn’t more than 4 meters wide is both beautiful and eerily creepy at the same time, and locals claim there are good reasons why you can believe this alley is haunted too. Over the past 100 years, there have been scary stories and old wives’ tales about this place, but the most recurrent one involves a retired military soldier who moved into the area in the 1930s. People soon were saying that he was a little bit crazy, maybe on account of the injuries and trauma he suffered during his military service. The man, it was claimed, liked to go out on daily long walks throughout the neighborhood dressed in his military uniform.
Such was his eccentric behavior and appearance that a small boy started following him along on his walks and played around him, inquired about his shiny metals, just a kid being a kid around him. The old veteran became anxious, and due to his mental problems, he allegedly, decided to execute the poor child right there in the alleyway, in front of a big avocado tree, the watchful eye of a mysterious monk who was watching the whole scene from one of the windows.
Ever since, this beautiful alleyway that’s enticing for an evening walk through Coyoacán (or a nice morning jog for that matter), has been haunted by the boy. The old veteran came to regret the cold-blooded murder he had committed and installed a shrine dedicated to the Virgen de Guadalupe on the corner of the alleyway, for every visitor to this area to be able to say a prayer or confess his sins. The ghostly cries of the boy can still be heard from the avocado tree, some say, and some have even claimed to have seen his face imprinted on the actual tree.
The Callejón del Aguacate is only a few blocks away from the “Viveros de Coyoacán” Metro station, and it’s a very small detour if you decide to exit that station and walk a few blocks to the historic center of Coyoacán, so check for yourself, if on your visit, you can also feel that eerie presence too.
