Hi everyone! Today, I’m going to put on a puppet show for you, based on the Chilean folktale “The Pincoya’s Daughter.” Then, we’ll learn some songs together, and I’ll show you how to make your own puppet theater so you can act out the story yourself! If you’d like, you can even make a movie or take pictures of your puppet show and share them in our gallery. I’m so excited to see what you come up with!

The Pincoya's Daughter:

Molly's Puppet Show

"The Pincoya's Daughter" is the story of an old woman who finds a young mermaid and cares for her until she is strong enough to live with her mother in the sea. Her mother is the Pincoya, a sea spirit from Chilean mythology. If you can't get enough of this story, check out the books that inspired my puppet show*:

* Unfortunately, I was unable to locate any Spanish-language sources for this tale, so these are all in English.

Mariana and the Merchild: A Folk Tale from Chile

by Caroline Pitcher and Jackie Morris

If you read just one of these books, choose this one! It's a gorgeous picture book full of rich colors and lyrical language.

Folk Tales from Chile

by Brenda Hughes

This anthology has 15 folktales from Chile, including "The Pincoya's Daughter."

The Healing Heart-Families: Storytelling to Encourage Caring and Healthy Families

by Allison M. Cox and David H. Albert

In this anthology of healing stories from around the world, “The Pincoya’s Daughter" is retold by Celia Barker Lottridge.

Songs from "The Pincoya's Daughter"

Now that you've watched the show, let's practice the songs together! All of these songs are fragments of real Chilean songs, although they’re not usually sung as part of this story. You can learn more about the original songs below:

Vuelvo para Vivir

by Illapu

I used part of this song for the Pincoya's call. The song is actually about the band's return to Chile after living in exile when the dictator Pinochet was in power. The song may not be about mermaids and sea wolves, but it fits the Pincoya, because she is also returning to be with someone she loves after separating due to danger.

Dame la Mano

by Gabriela Mistral

This is a sweet song about friendship that Chilean children often learn in school. In my puppet show, the old woman and the merchild sing it to each other each night when they snuggle by the fire.

La Pincoya

Los De Ramón

Unlike the other songs, this one is actually about the Pincoya! It's a popular traditional song in Chile, and on Youtube you can find many videos like this of children performing dances to it.

I hope you've enjoyed these songs. Now, it's time to Create Your Own Puppet Show!

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