New book by San Antonio author, illustrator explores truth and myth behind Donkey Lady ghost story

For generations on San Antonio’s South Side, hearing the tale of the Donkey Lady or driving out to the old Elm Creek bridge late at night has served as an unofficial rite of passage.

Local lore long warned of a disfigured, vengeful figure haunting the woods around the bridge off Old Applewhite Road.

Two San Antonio natives, a popular author and an artist, are peeling back the layers of that urban legend, unearthing a tragic human story buried beneath the myth.

Former Texas Poet Laureate Carmen Tafolla and local artist Thelma Ortiz Muraida have teamed up on a new book that re-examines the centuries-old folklore, shifting the focus from a terrifying monster to a historical woman wronged by her community.

“It was really important for us to claim those stories, reclaim them, and restore the Donkey Lady’s humanity,” Tafolla said. “Often human beings who have experienced some kind of injustice don’t get to tell their side of the story.”

In the book, the creators reconstruct the woman historically known as “La Callada” — the quiet one. Rather than a creature of terror, they depict an independent woman who lived self-sufficiently in nature and was targeted, ostracized and violently attacked by fearful neighbors.

To capture the mood and historical weight of the setting, Muraida visited the bridge and turned to raw charcoal for the illustrations.

“I wanted to pick a medium that would sort of reflect that sort of mystery feeling. And I chose charcoal,” Muraida said. “It kind of conveyed the dark side and the light side. You see this array of values of black and white inside of, like telling the depth of the story.”

Both Tafolla and Muraida grew up in San Antonio hearing the ghost story passed down by family elders. Today, they see the enduring myth as a reflection of prejudice, greed and mob mentality that frequently targeted outsiders.

“And the monsters, I need to repeat, are not the Donkey Lady. They’re not the people who are different,” Tafolla said. “The monsters are the intolerance, the hatred, the suspicion of those who are different from us.”

Ultimately, the collaborators hope to transform the South Side ghost story into a testament to resilience.

“The Donkey Lady is a voice of resistance,” Tafolla said. “She’s a voice that says, ‘this is mine, and I’m here I’ll stay.’”