A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Mysterious, magical individuals called 'chaneques' are famous in Mexican folklore; however, they also have a lot in common with the Pukwudgies, only knee-high or smaller, grey-faced forest people with large ears, as described in Algonquian folklore.
They are also similar in their behavior to Alux, a little trickster in Mayan folklore responsible for 'bad things' yet who protects the field at night, summons rain, and helps grow corn and bring wealth and good fortune.
In some contemporary legends, the chaneques (from Nahuatl, "those who live in dangerous places" or "owners of the house") are described as children with faces from elderly men or women. Otherwise, they are no more than one meter tall, have feet in reverse, a deformed body, sometimes lack a left ear, and laugh like a child. In other legends, they have huge heads and chocolate-colored skin.
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See also:
Nurikabe: Trickster That Manifests Itself As Invisible, Impassable Wall In Japanese Old Beliefs
Iktomi – Native American Spider-Trickster Spirit Whose Stories Teach Moral Values
Alux: Little Mythical Troublemaker And Guardian Of Corn Fields In Mayan Folklore
