Witches often take the form of an owl, in New Mexican Spanish called a Tecolote, from the nahuatl word teolotl. The hoot of an owl is an evil omen, so one most be careful to stay away from owls. In other parts of the South west owls are sometimes know as lechuzas. A lechuza is a woman who has sold her soul to the devil and becomes an owl by night. Only a woman can become a lechuza
Chicano Folklore
Rafaela G. Castro
