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Maria Sinukuan
People in Pampanga tell of Maria Sinukuan, a diwata of Mount Arayat. Writers say Spanish rule gave this woman's name to an older male Kapampangan god, Sinukuan, linked to sun, war and death. Her story is close to that of other mountain guardians.
Folklore is retold; versions differ.
Sources: Wikipedia: Maria Sinukuan (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0)
The story
Maria Sinukuan is the mountain guardian of Mount Arayat in Pampanga. In the common story, she leaves fruit and game at the door of poor families in hard times. A group of young men grew greedy. They found her home and asked for more than they needed. She let them take a large load but warned them not to take anything without her leave. On the road home, they took more. Their packs grew heavy, and the food turned to stone. She then appeared and turned them into pigs.
Writers say the older figure was Apung Sinukuan, a male Kapampangan god of sun, war and death. He is said to have taught metalwork, woodcutting and rice farming. Authors argue that Spanish rule recast the god as a woman and added the name Maria to make the figure Catholic. The creator in these accounts is a goddess, Mangechay, and the god of Pinatubo is Malyari. This claim about Spanish changes comes from modern writers, and the old record is thin.
Maria Sinukuan belongs with other mountain women, such as Maria Makiling in Los Baños and Maria Cacao in Cebu.