Cipitio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cipitio is a legendary character of Salvadoran (El Salvador, Central America) folklore. He is generally portrayed as a 10 year old boy with a large belly. His name is taken from the nahuat (Salvadoran dialect derived from nahuatl) word for child: "Cipit" or "Cipote". Some also relate his name to the deity Xipe Totec.
According to the legend, he is the son of a forbidden romance of a native woman called Sihuehuet, or more commonly known as La Sihuanaba, and god Tlaloc's son. Cipitio was condemned by Tlaloc to live for ever as a 10 year old boy with his feet in backwards position, as a reminder of the wicked love of his mother. Stories are told of farmers that come to their fields and find the footsteps of a boy, but eventually get lost following them because, not knowing that Cipitio has his feet backwards, they follow them in the wrong direction.
Other characteristics of Cipitio are that he likes to eat ashes, throws pebbles to beautiful ladies and likes to eat an endemic variety of banana that Salvadorans call "Guineo Majoncho". He could also "Teleport" anywhere he wants.
A couple of short stories with this character can be found in the book Cuentos de Cipotes by the Salvadorian writer and poet Salarrué
In a TV show for the Salvadoran Educational Television Station he is portrayed by Rolando Meléndez, who has set the trademark for the role of the legendary character. The show has been running for several seasons. Each episode features the problems that salvadorean children find in their communities, families and schools, and how El Cipitio helps them solve them by teaching them moral values, ethics, and care for others.
