AI illustration
Mount Lantoy legend
People in Argao, Cebu, say Maria Cacao lives in a cave in Mount Lantoy. Cacao trees outside it are her farm. After harvest, rain sweeps her down in a golden ship to sell her crop in the towns.
Folklore is retold; versions differ.
Sources: Wikipedia: Mount Lantoy (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikidata (CC0)
The story
Mount Lantoy is a mountain about 10 kilometers inland from Argao, in Cebu. It is 593 meters high. In 1994, Proclamation No. 414 made it a watershed forest reserve. A 2006 order cut the protected area from 7,265 hectares to 3,000 hectares.
People say a diwata called Maria Cacao lives in a cave on the mountain. Many cacao trees grow outside the cave, and in the story they are her farm. After the harvest, the rains sweep her down to the nearby towns in a golden ship. There she sells her crop. Nobody knows her old name. Wikipedia notes that the claim that Spanish rule added "Maria" has no source.
The tale links a real crop to a place, and it gives a reason for the rains of the harvest season. Local tellers in Argao keep it. No old written record is known, so when the story began is unclear.