Janet Mérida 'Janis' and Erika Maldonado 'Maldo', creators of the Morras Malditas podcast, released the book Apaguemos la luz y entremos a la noche, compiling supernatural legends from Oaxaca and Sonora. The work was presented at the Guadalajara International Book Fair 2025, where they discussed their trips to document these oral stories. In an interview with MILENIO, they expressed greater fear of the living than of the dead.
Janet Mérida, known as 'Janis', and Erika Maldonado, 'Maldo', turned their childhood fascination with the supernatural into the Morras Malditas podcast, which has exceeded 200 episodes and boasts thousands of followers. This project evolved into the book Apaguemos la luz y entremos a la noche, published by Suma de letras in 2025, exploring stories of the living and the dead through local legends.
The book launch took place at the Guadalajara International Book Fair 2025, in the Enrique González Martínez Hall, with a full house and joined by writers Ave Barrera and Dahlia de la Cerda. Prior to the event, in an interview with MILENIO, the authors described their trips to Oaxaca and Sonora to gather tales from grandparents.
'Janis', from the Oaxacan Mixteca region and a journalist, highlights the legend of Ña Yuku, the 'Lady of the Mountain' who sways without knees and devours souls of those who disrespect nature. 'It's the story I grew up with', she revealed. 'Maldo', a visual artist and tattooist from Sonora, recalls the Casino del Diablo, which gave her nightmares as a child.
Their influences include a book of Mexican legends for 'Janis', featuring tales like the Mulata de Córdoba, and Anne Rice's works for 'Maldo', such as Interview with the Vampire and The Witching Hour. On current fears, they agree: 'The SAT, the narcos, the politicians... the living people'. Yet, they find hope in oral tradition: 'It's an embrace to the heart', said 'Janis'.
The book acts as a travel chronicle, preserving generational narrations of supernatural experiences.
