The Child Who Never Leaves the San Juan Bautista Church and Its Haunted Secrets

Churches. The world is full of them. Tall ones, squat ones, old ones, and a few quite ugly ones. Some are architectural wonders that inspire reverence for their sheer grandeur, while others make you want to ponder what went so terribly wrong during the design phase. But there's something to be said about old churches, the kind that have stood through the ages, those venerable, ancient structures with stone walls that have witnessed more drama than a daytime soap opera. And, it must be said, if there's one thing old churches are particularly good at—besides reminding you to mind your manners—it's holding on to a few ghost stories.

Enter the church of San Juan Bautista, a monument to faith and eerie happenings, located in the town where I spent my youth, learning catechism and attending mass. For those not in the know, this isn't some quaint little chapel where the most exciting thing to ever happen was Father Juan getting his robe caught on a pew. No, this is a place that has seen the march of history, with sections over 300 years old, though you’d never guess it from how solidly those walls still stand. It’s a titan of ancient architecture, standing defiant in the face of time and weather, like a grumpy old man scowling at the mischief of the modern world.