Thursday, February 5, 2015

Abchanchu/Anchanchu -Bolivian Vampire

Abchanchu is a part of Bolivian folklore that is associated with vampires.  It is said that this cryptid has the ability to take the form of an old man, and ask somebody for a direction.  Abchanchu will suck the blood of those who will help him while they were asleep or infect them with an incurable disease.  Sometimes in order to lure their victim to their house, abchanchu will pretend that he is having some sort of trouble at home and whoever kindly offers him to help him on his trouble will suffer the same fate.  They said that there is no way to escape the abchachu once you became a target victim.  He will first bite you and suck your blood and when you managed to escape that attack he will then inflict you with a deadly disease.  The old man always appear to be wearing something expensive and said that he came from a rich clan.  Travellers can wear an amulet with garlic oil in order to protect themselves from the abchanchu.

It is said that the abchanch can be found at the caves and highland of Bolivia.  During the 18th Century it was believed that Abchanchus were only located in secluded places in Bolivia, especially to the inaccessible part of the region or the mountain areas.  After a few years, story about this creature began spreading all over Bolivia especially on the district and town areas.  Some stories about the Abchanchu differentiate them from the vampires, some abchanchu has a way to destroy the villagers’ crops and cause random fire.  They are similar on the western vampires regarding their ability to inflict diseases.  They said that there is an incantation that you have to recite that can protect you from the attack of the abchanchu:

Uyuni, a region in Bolivia has a different interpretation of the Abchanchu, they said that these creatures usually come to visit a house at night and ask the owner of the house if they can come in.   Those who let them in or during an event that the house does not have a lock ; they will probably end up a victim of the abchanchu.


*Note: Abchanchu is a part of the Bolivian folklore, no reported sightings was documented in the history to confim its validity.

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