ABSTRACT
The jinete negro is a much feared ghost, a tall man in a black mourning attire with a black hat on his skull riding a black mule. This chapter examines the local revitalization of stories of ghosts, witches, curses, satanic figures and possessed bodies in order to explore how they animate the memories and fears of Medellin's youth, and contribute to local understanding of violence. It also examines how fear —as an emotion that is individually experienced, socially constructed and culturally shared—is actualized in response to a concrete landscape of violence. Mysterious stories of ghosts, souls, various forms of magic and spirit possession revitalize the city's local oral tradition and circulate specific social constructions of fear. One type of story that voices specific local tensions while relocating the fears associated with violence is that of spirit possession. Stories about warriors illustrate a cultural model for remembering in which violence is embedded in bodily performance.
