Sunny garden view of painted Basilisco in green gunnera and fern leaves in front of yellow shingles house Caulin, Chiloe, Chile

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In Chilote mythology, El Basilisco is a snake with a cockerel's head, which turns people to stone with its gaze. At night it enters houses, sucking the breath from sleeping inhabitants, so they waste away and shrivel up into skeletons. Burning down the house is the only way to be rid of it. Chiloe Island's isolation from the mainland, with self-reliance on the sea and land, has produced a rich combination of myth and folklore that intrigues visitors. The 1993 renovation of Ancud's Plaza de Armas featured the effigies of several Chilote monsters.

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Size: 4287px × 2848px
Location: Caulin, Chiloe Island, Chile, South America
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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