A well-to-do Spanish man living in the south of Texas had been seeing a rich local girl for some time. Much to her chagrin, they had never married, but they had two sons. Shortly after the birth of their second child, there was a grand ball, and all the local nobility was invited, including the couple. The girl, however, could not go- she had to stay home and care for her children. She was furious- not only would she miss the chance of having fun and being with her beloved, but he might romance any other young woman at the dance, and she wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.
On the night of the ball, she sat home with her sons, fuming. She could hear the music from the dance, and she could picture how delightful the occasion would be, and she couldn't go! Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. She took her children to the river and drowned them.
Well, she was free to go to the ball, but she was so overcome with grief and remorse that all she could do was weep. She died of grief, but when she got to heaven, she was told that she couldn't enter without the souls of her children.
So now she haunts the river, dragging the waters with her long hair and crying for the children she killed. She is always looking for them, always lamenting, which is how she got her name: La Llorona, the Weeping Woman.
"La Llorona" and "Jason and Medea"