Mount Makiling, the dormant volcano that rises above the town of Los Baños in Laguna province, is the domain of the most famous supernatural being in Filipino mythology — Maria Makiling, the guardian diwata (nature deity) of the mountain. Unlike the ghosts and restless spirits that populate most Filipino haunted locations, Maria Makiling is something older and more powerful: a pre-colonial deity who has been part of the mountain's identity since long before the Spanish arrived.
Maria Makiling is described as an extraordinarily beautiful woman — tall, with skin the color of polished wood, long flowing hair, and eyes that shift between human warmth and something distinctly otherworldly. She is the mountain's protector, responsible for its fertility, its forests, its wildlife, and the springs that flow from its slopes. She is generally benevolent toward humans, but she is also possessive — and this is where the disappearances begin.
Throughout the centuries, men who have ventured into the mountain's upper reaches have vanished without explanation. Some return days or weeks later, disoriented and unable to account for the lost time. Others never return at all. Filipino tradition attributes these disappearances to Maria Makiling herself, who is said to choose mortal men as her companions — her husbands, in the language of the legend — taking them into the mountain's interior to live with her in a realm that exists beneath or within the volcanic landscape.
The men she favors are typically described as young, handsome, and pure of heart. They enter the forest and feel drawn deeper than they intended, following a path that seems to appear before them or hearing music that grows more beautiful the farther they walk. By the time they realize they have gone too far, the mountain has closed behind them.
Mount Makiling remains a popular hiking destination, and the University of the Philippines Los Baños sits at its base. Students and faculty at UPLB maintain a respectful relationship with the mountain's legendary guardian, and the tradition of asking Maria Makiling's permission before ascending her slopes persists among even the most scientifically minded members of the university community.