DeKALB — As Halloween creeps closer, the Latino Resource Center partnered with NIU Recreation to create the Leyendas and Myths Bonfire. 

From 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the West Lagoon, attendees shared Latinx scary stories. 

Attendees circled in chairs around a bonfire and took turns reading stories aloud to the group. While listening to the stories, guests snacked on s’mores, with some allergy-friendly options, on the provided chairs. 

The stories included famous tales from Latinx cultures, such as La Llorona from Mexico, the Chupacabra from Puerto Rico and El Sibón from Colombia. 

La Llorona is a story about a woman who wants to leave her husband and kills her sons when she attempts to leave. The Chupacabra is a creature that drains the blood of goats and chickens. There are two versions, one originating in Mexico and the other in Puerto Rico.

Elbia Del Llano Menendez, the assistant director for the Latino Resource Center, planned the event with the help of students since summer and is pleased with the outcome. 

Del Llano said stories were shared by different people at the event.

“The stories featured at this event were shared by students or staff members and the graduate staff also made some of the stories,” Del Llano said. 

Makena Ndicu, a first-year political science major, attended the event after seeing it online and hearing about it around campus. She learned a lot from the event. 

“It gave me a deeper understanding of the culture,” Ndicu said.

For more information about Latino culture and images of the stories explained, students can go to the Latino Resource center website.