Beware of the Pishtaco
On your walk in the hills, if you come across a pale gringo wearing a dark robe – beware! He could be a vampire, or as they're known locally, a Pishtaco. These apparitions were first seen about the time of the conquest. They take the form of pale-skinned strangers, and carry with them a bag of dust, the powdered bones of their victims. They'll creep up on you when you're unaware, and blow this magic powder in your face, rendering you completely insensible. Then they'll drag you off to their lair, where they hang you upside down and let your fat drip into large bowls beneath your body. In the old days, it was said that this human fat that they collected was used to make church bells, now the story goes that it's used to power the space shuttle.

The anthropologist, Robert Randall, has pointed out the myth of Pishtacos has a basis in truth, albeit allegorical truth. These pale-skinned strangers who kidnapped locals and used their fat are a symbol of the conquering Spanish, who worked the Incas to the bone and used their sweat to grease the wheels of the Spanish Empire.