Spirit Of A Beautiful Spanish Maiden Is Said to Haunt White Sands

Have you heard of the New Mexico legend about a beautiful Spanish maiden who haunts the dunes at White Sands National Park?  

The legend of Pavla Blanca involves a beautiful Spanish Maiden who is said to roam the gypsum dunes at White Sands dating back centuries.   

White Sands National Park is one of the most magnificent locations in our region, but with all that beauty, any excursion can turn deadly quickly if you lose your way.

Besides getting lost, visitors might also want to keep an eye out for Pavla Blanca, the Spanish maiden who is said to haunt the glistening dunes.   

According to White Sands National Park, native Indians of New Mexico believe in the legend of Pavla Blanca, which dates back to 1540.

The tale speaks of Mañuela and her fiancé Hernando de Luna, a Spanish conquistador who left Mexico City to embark on an uncharted adventure with explorer Francisco Coronado across present-day Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico.   

However, during Luna’s explorations, the conqueror was ambushed by Apache warriors and was killed, and eventually, his body was buried and lost forever under the ever-shifting dunes.

Nearly 500 years later, natives of New Mexico still believe that Pavla Blanca (Mañuela) searches for her love every evening across the Great White Sands. Like La Llorona, the beautiful Spanish maiden roams the dunes dressed in a white wedding gown, searching for her betrothed.   

Over the years, witnesses who claim to have seen Pavla Blanca describe “white, wispy shadows” appearing across the dunes, followed by a ghostly figure which usually occurs just after sunset. 

While the legend is a folktale for many, and those "wispy shadows" may be the sand swirling across the dunes, we do not doubt that the power of true love can manifest in the afterlife, and perhaps this is why Mañuela, to this day, continues to seek her long lost lover. 

But you don't have to take my word for it; discover the Legend of Pavla Blanca by visiting White Sands National Park; you never know, Mañuela might pop up when you least expect it.