Some time ago, I posted about the yaguarú, a Guaraní myth about a river monster that is related to the Patagonian Water Tiger.
My wife and I spent last weekend 230 km (144 mi) northwest of Buenos Aires, at San Nicolás de los Arroyos, a small and quiet city with about one hundred thousand inhabitants set on the banks of the Paraná River. Its main attraction is a Sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who is said to have appeared here on September 25, 1983. The shrine attracts over three million pilgrims every year. (We just went there to relax).
While we were strolling around the downtown area, I took the photo shown below:
Yaguarón. Copyright © 2011 by Austin Whittall
It is a painting on a wall by a street that goes down towards the river. It says: "Yagua" = dog head and "Rón" = serpent body. Which sounds very similar to many "slender" Patagonian creatures water creatures such as the Guruvilu or fox-snake. Once again I am surprised at the similarity between the Mapuche and Guaraní myths, as both groups live so far apart.
Patagonian Monsters - Cryptozoology, Myths & legends in Patagonia
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