Podcast Summary: "No debí cerrar tan TARDE | Relatos Paranormales de Taqueros"

Podcast: EXTRA ANORMAL
Host: Paco Arias
Guest: Dafne Silva
Date: September 26, 2025

Overview

In this spine-chilling episode, Paco Arias and his recurring guest, Dafne Silva, delve into paranormal encounters experienced by Mexican taqueros working late-night shifts. Drawing on real-life accounts sent in by listeners, the hosts explore themes of supernatural protection, ghostly apparitions, and tales of dark pacts tied to the humble taco stand. Each story is a unique window into the eerie side of one of Mexico’s most beloved professions, showing that taquerías—often bustling, familiar neighborhoods spots—can also be spaces of deep mystery and fear. Throughout, the tone is conversational, empathetic, and unabashedly spooky, making listeners both question and appreciate the unseen world that might lurk behind their next midnight taco.

Key Discussion Points & Stories

1. Introduction to Paranormal Taquero Stories (04:10-06:44)

• Paco Arias introduces the concept: taquerías, iconic in Mexican life, are often late-night businesses that, due to their hours, become magnets for inexplicable events.
• Dafne Silva shares her surprise: "jamás nos imaginamos que tal vez a muchas de estas personas les haya ocurrido algo paranormal" (04:10).

2. Story 1: "Protección de Madre" – By Enrique (06:44-19:10)

• Summary:
  Enrique, a lifelong taquero outside a CDMX metro station, experiences a decline in business and helps a group of local children by gifting them food, despite his own financial troubles. The children’s mysterious mother, later revealed symbolically as "La Santa Muerte," seemingly intervenes during a harrowing attempted robbery; two would-be assailants turn violent but instead end up killing each other, sparing Enrique. The children later confirm their mother's "help," flashing a pendant of Santa Muerte.
• Notable Quote:
  "Nuestra mamá ya nos dijo que le ayudó con esos hombres, les dio su merecido" – niña, relating the mother's intervention (18:56).
• Memorable Reaction:
  "Sentí un frío recorrerme la espalda, no supe qué decir" – Enrique.
• Timestamps: Main story begins at 06:44, revelation at 18:56, Dafne reacts at 19:10: "Está lo que le sigue de impactante esta historia."

3. Story 2: "La niña del puente colgante" – By Indira (19:40-27:40)

• Summary:
  Indira opens her own taquería near a scenic river and bridge, doing brisk late-night business. One night, she spots a little girl hiding beneath tables, ignored by other customers. When Indira pursues her outside, the child runs across the old bridge and disappears. Locals later reveal a girl and her father drowned there years prior, and she is now rumored to appear to the living.
• Notable Quote:
  "Vi claramente una manita de un niño o niña debajo de la mesa... la niña se pasa para la mesa de los señores" (21:35).
• Memorable Moment:
  Indira witnessing the girl vanish while crossing the hanging bridge.
• Timestamps: Story begins at 19:40, revelation of the girl's past at 27:10.

4. Story 3: "La última cena" – By Fidencio Ramírez (30:05-40:30)

• Summary:
  Don Fidencio, a veteran taquero in Naucalpan, shares a moving tale about his loyal friend Benny, a taxi driver who would eat eight campechanos every night. After an absence, Benny appears one crowded night to order just one taco, then vanishes mysteriously. Days later, Fidencio learns Benny was murdered over a week prior—his last, seemingly physical, visit was in fact a farewell from beyond.
• Notable Quote:
  "No podía irme sin pasar por mis tacos" – Benny's chilling parting words (38:01).
• Memorable Reaction:
  "Han pasado casi 8 años y sigo recordando esa última vez, esa sonrisa, sus palabras, su presencia tan real" (39:10).
• Timestamps: Story begins at 30:05, revelation occurs at 38:01; emotional reflection at 40:30.

5. Story 4: "La mujer sin pies" – By Manuel (40:30-51:03)

• Summary:
  Manuel, a young night-shift waiter in a busy taquería, is haunted by guilt after failing to help a man who dies outside. Later, he intervenes when a similar situation arises. The rescued man recounts being seduced and attacked by a ghostly woman with no feet—a known folkloric sign of a "mujer de blanco" (white-clad spectral woman)—who tries to "steal his essence," mirroring Manuel's first supernatural brush.
• Notable Quote:
  "Cuando la vi bien... ella no tenía pies" – Testigo rescatado (47:58).
• Memorable Moment:
  The man pointing to the floating woman and the subsequent parallel with Manuel’s prior regret.
• Timestamps: Story begins at 40:30, ghostly encounter described at 47:58.

6. Story 5: "El cliente de la esquina" – Anónimo (52:16-63:12)

• Summary:
  A renowned taquero, whose stand struggles after being forced to move locations, is eyed nightly by a mysterious, shadowy man. The man finally offers help, urging the taquero's wife to pray for abundance, not protection, and alludes to making others (e.g., a rival barbacoa chef) successful. Sales soar soon after, and after the owner’s father dies, the narrator "seeks" this figure—experiencing greater business growth, uncertain if a pact was made.
• Notable Quote:
  "Dile a tu esposa que no ore por protección, de eso me encargo yo, que ore por abundancia" – El hombre misterioso (58:49).
• Memorable Moment:
  The chilling realization: "Hoy tengo muchas sucursales... No sé si hice un pacto, eso lo deja en claro, pero no sé si el hecho de buscarlo fue suficiente."
• Timestamps: Story unfolds from 52:16 to 63:12.

7. Story 6: "Entre el humo" – Anónimo (63:39-77:57)

• Summary:
  A parrillero joins the famed "Taquería Huicho," quickly noting the staff's camaraderie and odd rituals: melting wax, salt scattered around, and shadowy figures resembling a man entwined by a snake. A near-violent incident is inexplicably averted by the appearance of the same supernatural figure. The owner, Don Huicho, bears a matching tattoo and cryptically credits the demon Andromalius with the business's protection and prosperity.
• Notable Quote:
  "Aquí nosotros estamos bien protegidos, tú no te preocupes de nada" – Don Huicho (75:36).
• Memorable Moment:
  The revelation of the demon’s name and the understanding that the business’s success is supernaturally influenced.
• Timestamps: Story spans from 63:39 to 77:57.

Additional Commentary & Themes

• Cultural Context:
  The episodes underscore the constant presence of the supernatural in Mexican folklore and its intersections with everyday working class life—especially among night-shift professions.
• Protection and Pacts:
  Recurring motifs include protection (by entities like Santa Muerte and demons) and the theme of prosperity coming at potentially occult or ambiguous costs.
• Ghostly Farewells:
  Emotional weight is given to stories of deceased customers returning for a final goodbye.
• Child Spirits:
  Both hosts reflect on the unique sadness and horror of child ghosts, with Dafne noting:
  "Un niño es un ser puro e inocente, pero el ver como un espíritu impuro toma, profana la imagen de un pequeño niño, da muchísimo miedo" (28:27).
• Reflections on Night Work:
  Paco closes with a somber note: "las madrugadas tienen sus clientes, pero a veces esos no están vivos" (39:56), emphasizing the perilous, liminal state of taqueros' nighttime world.

Notable Quotes

• "Nuestra mamá ya nos dijo que le ayudó con esos hombres, les dio su merecido" – (Enrique's story, 18:56)
• "No podía irme sin pasar por mis tacos" – (Benny's ghost, 38:01)
• "Dile a tu esposa que no ore por protección, de eso me encargo yo, que ore por abundancia" – (The mysterious man, 58:49)
• "Aquí nosotros estamos bien protegidos, tú no te preocupes de nada" – (Don Huicho, 75:36)
• "Un niño es un ser puro e inocente, pero... da muchísimo miedo" – (Dafne Silva, 28:27)

Engaging Moments

• The repeated insistence on the dangers—and persistent allure—of working late into the night, summarized by the episode’s title and multiple stories warning taqueros not to close too late.
• The emotional responses of the hosts, with Dafne often reacting with both amazement and empathy for the storytellers’ traumas.

For Listeners & Fans

• Excerpts of even stronger, more taboo stories are reserved for the podcast’s exclusive platform.
• The hosts invite listeners to comment if they have similar experiences or wish for a second part, highlighting community engagement.

Conclusion

This episode of EXTRA ANORMAL is a must-listen for lovers of Mexican folklore, ghost stories, and those curious about the hidden dimensions of everyday professions. The taquero, so central to Mexico’s culinary culture, is here reimagined as both hero and victim of the supernatural—a testament to how, in Mexican storytelling, the extraordinary resides just beneath the surface of the ordinary, and the last taco of the night may come with more than just salsa.

End of Summary