In 1999 I purchased a 403-year-old home known to local people as "La Casona." The first thing I noted was that in an area where work opportunities are scarce, I had trouble finding workmen for the restoration work. I also noticed that when passing the house, people would cross the street to the other side and when passing the house, return to the other side.

People started asking me how I could live there and if anything had happened. The house had been abandoned for more than 110 years and my interests were in the vast restoration work, nothing more.

Then workmen started abandoning their work. Six of them at one time, demanding their money and vowing never to return to the house because a woman dressed in white had descended the stairs and glared at them menacingly.

Visitors to the house have claimed to see the same woman and gave the same description.

I have seen nothing. There have been things moved on tables and I can't explain how it happens and I confess that in the early days of living here I used to feel a touch on my cheek just before falling to sleep. I accredited it to exhaustion or even a dream but it happened every night.

I have done research and have pretty well reconstructed the history of the house. I have even located paintings (at other locations, not in the house) of the woman who supposedly haunts it.

The truth is that I am perfectly content in my house but it is somewhat socially depriving that no one will visit.

Can anyone give recommendations?

If it doesn't bother you I wouldn't worry about it.

Go visit people in public places?

I don't know.

I guess it depends on what you want to do. Are you interested in driving the ghost out of the house, or just living with it ?. Has the ghost ever been menacing to you personally ?.

Sounds like something looking into, do you know how the women died ?, or what kind of person she was ?, there may be more to the story on why people are so afraid of her.

Haven't you already posted this story in this forum?

I mentioned the house in another forum.

Okay, I knew I had heard this exact story before.

Iaapac, this story sounds fascinating! I wish I were in your shoes!. If you don't mind its being haunted then you may have a lot of interesting and intriguing experiences ahead of you. Touches on the cheek sound to me more affectionate than aggressive. The White Lady on the stairs may have been annoyed at the workmen for causing such a stir there after all these years of silence and didn't understand that they were restoring the place. YOU are the one is restoring it to its former glory so I imagine any ghost there will be well disposed toward you. Enjoy your stay there and take lots of notes and recordings. Try talking to the house in Spanish. You may make friends that way. Lonecat

Did you find anything about that white woman that the workers said they saw? Are you still there living in the house? Very interesting story!

By all accounts, the ghost is Carolina de Aguayo who was the daughter of the Marquis de Aguayo who built the house in 1593. There are times when there is a very cold corner in a room and I sense her presence. I simply say, in Spanish, for her to either tell me what she wants or go somewhere else because I need to use that room and she complies rather promptly.

By all investigations, Carolina de Aguayo came from Seville, Spain to be with her parents in Mexico during the time shortly after the Conquistadors. The valley where I live is very fertile and has an abundance of water so they started to plant grapes to make wine. The original winery is still here and operating.

Carolina got pregnant while unmarried and was kept in the house for nine months until she gave birth. Her father, the Marquis, killed the baby befoe permitting Carolina to be seen again in public. By all accounts, no one knew of her pregnancy except a priest who recorded the story as it now exists in the archives of the local church.

In 2000, experts from the National Institute of Anthropology and History came to help me with the restoration by giving historical references. They said that there had been a door where only a wall stood. We started to probe the wall and finally found the imprint of the old door. When workers began to chip away at the adobe, they discovered the remains of a baby in a canvas bag. We took it to the cemetery and gave it a proper burial.

Awwww, how nice.
I'm very happy you did that for the dead baby. And your lucky to have such a peaceful ghost in your house! I mean you COULD'VE ended up with something like the one in Casa de Cañitas...>_> *shudders at the thought*

That was the case of the group playing with the Ouija, right? I went to a conference where the author of that book, and the husband of one of the victims, spoke. Where are you in Mexico?

Oh, I live here in Mexico.
Yeah, and I remember reading one of the books and now the ghost haunts the house, killing many who enter.
Hmmm... Where was that list of deaths of those who enter?

Anyways, Where exactly is your house anyways?

Where in Mexico?

I'm not sure if this site is correct, but its supposed to have the legend. (I think the second is the most detailed).

Its in spanish though.... too bad to, it would have been a nice thing for people who want to play Quija....
http://www.usuarios.lycos.es/grupoelron2/studies35.html

I live in Pto. Vallarta.... Well.... Technically Nayarit....

I know Nayarit very well. I will be there next Tuesday in Tepic. My house is in Parras de la Fuente, Coahuila.

Coahuila ,eh? Interesting.... Very interesting... Hey, if you've got a digital camera or something, why not try and take pictures of the ghost so we can see! It'll be so cool to see a ghost pic we can be sure is real!

You would need a motion detector or something to trigger the camera or if it was a video camera you would have to hope that something would happen during the length of the film. I don't know . . . .

Thanks for the link which itself offers other links to websites in Spanish. I shall peruse it and let you know (and other Spanish speaking readers) what it is all about. It purports to clear up mysteries and fill gaps in our knowledge of the world and bears a heading : There are no mysteries:there is only a lack of information. There are no miracles: there are only unknown scientific facts. Well, have a look for yourselves. The ELRON group also has connections with "Scientology". No further comment . Lonecat

I would gladly come over for coffee....

Greek coffee is better but if you come, be sure to bring me a set of those worry beads.

thats a very interesting story.. i think as long as you have a good relationship with the ghost it wont bother you too much. But your going to have a hard time getting the restoration completed when no one is willing to work anywhere near the house. So it might benefit you to find out what she really wants or to try and convince her to leave the workers alone. Did you let her know that you found her baby and gave her a decent burial?? That could be the reason why she has been sticking around becuase of her lost baby.
Could you possibly take a pic of your house i would luv to see your 400 year old house. My family is from San Pablo Balleza which was settled a little after the 15th century. I dont think any of the houses around there are close to as old as yours so im interested in how it was constructed.