“In Albuquerque’s hot desert, ditches are commonly used for skateboarding and swimming during the summer months. However sudden storms can cause flash flooding, and swimming in ditches has caused multiple drownings. With the slogan, “Ditches are deadly. Stay away,” the local government has appropriated and exploited the story of La Llorona to issue a public safety campaign. Throughout the summer and fall of 1984, for example, city buses carried boards picturing a scary female figure with the words, “Ditches are Deadly!” Locals recognized that figure as representing La Llorona (Bareiss 1984, 2). The slogan has also been used in school programs and has been distributed in brochures, bumper stickers, and signs. Most recently, however, the advertisement phrase has been modified to “Ditch the Ditches,” and the scary figure of the Ditch Witch has been replaced with a bright blue, furry, human-sized, playful looking “Water Monster.” This change of slogan and figure can be read as one of multiple “whitening” strategies that have been implemented by the local government to water down Albuquerque’s strong Indo-Hispanic roots, making the city more attractive to (white) outside investors.”