---
title: Chanques
description: Mexican goblins.
author:
  name: Graciela Paula Caldeiro
  url: http://graciela-caldeiro.idoneos.com
canonical: https://mitosyleyendas.idoneos.com/en/bestiario_mitologico/chanques/
source: en/bestiario_mitologico/chanques/index.md
---

<h2 id="chanques">Chanques</h2>

The chanques are **goblins** from southern Mexico about whom various characteristics are recounted depending on the region. Some of these goblins are associated with order and harmony, and it is said that they protect forests, prune trees, and care for animals wounded by hunters. But other chanques are malevolent and can cause people and objects to become lost. They can make children and adults go astray, especially women and young children, who are more vulnerable. These individuals disappear in groups until their relatives resign themselves to never seeing them again. If the missing return, they cannot remember what they have seen.

It is believed that the chanques inhabit the underworld, a dimension to which mortals have no access. A dry ceiba tree is the entrance to this magical space. According to other variants of the myth, these goblins inhabit aquatic spaces such as lakes and rivers.

They are said to have the appearance of children with old men's faces. In other versions, they are described as young and beautiful. To protect oneself from the chanques, one must wear one's shirt inside out, and an amulet may also prove useful.