Casa de La Zacatecana — the poisoned lovers' mansion of Querétaro

The Casa de La Zacatecana is a colonial mansion in Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro. In the 17th century, the mansion was the scene of a double murder — La Zacatecana, a woman from Zacatecas, discovered her husband's infidelity and poisoned both him and his mistress. According to legend, she then buried their bodies within the mansion's walls and lived out her remaining years in the house, surrounded by the remains of the two people she murdered. The mansion has been haunted ever since. Visitors describe hearing the agonized cries of the poisoned victims, the crash of breaking crockery (as though the poisoned dinner is being replayed), and the apparition of a woman pacing the corridors with a grim, satisfied expression. Some accounts describe seeing the bodies of the lovers emerging partially from the walls before dissolving. The colonial-era mansions of Querétaro, one of Mexico's most beautiful colonial cities, frequently carry such dark domestic legends — stories of jealousy, poison, and walled-up bodies that reflect the violence that existed alongside the refined culture of New Spain.