La Mona

Origin and tradition

Costa Rican and Nicaraguan stories describe witches who transform into monkey-like creatures to leap across roofs and frighten households.

Illustration in this atlas

A dark, long-limbed monkey-woman with human intelligence, clawed hands, and a shriek that sounds too much like laughter.

References and further reading

1. es.wikipedia.org — Leyendas de Costa Rica

These references offer further reading. Accounts and depictions vary; the atlas illustration is interpretive artwork, rather than historical or scientific evidence.