According to the tale of San Citlán’s founding, an explorer named Citlali became lost in the valley of the Calaveras River. After wandering for days, Citlali saw an elegantly dressed skeletal figure trailing behind her, never moving too close or straying too far. She tried to flee, but the figure always caught up. When she turned and followed her pursuer instead, the skeleton led Citlali to a hidden cenote. Citlali dove in to assuage her thirst, and when she resurfaced, the skeletal figure was gone. Observing that the area was rich in precious minerals, Citlali returned home and convinced others to join her to settle the valley north of the cenote and the mountains now known as Citlali’s Rest. Citlali grew old, and the skeletal figure returned to take her, but the settlement remained. It was named in her honor, with Citlán roughly translating to “the place near Citlali.” People began calling the skeletal figure La Catrina for her elegant clothing. San Citlán’s history is rife with conflict. After years of failed invasions over its first century of existence, the city was overcome and occupied by a colonizing force. Colonial rule lasted for two hundred years and ended in a bloody series of conflicts called the Wars of Separation. In the aftermath, the folk of San Citlán held their first elections, finally looking forward to a time of peace. The wars have left scars, turning previously fertile lands barren and driving away the fey that once inhabited the region—some say forever.