The folklore traditions of South America are immensely diverse, drawing from indigenous pre-Columbian beliefs, colonial-era Spanish and Portuguese Catholicism, and African traditions brought by enslaved peoples. Supernatural's engagement with South American folklore is limited but includes one notable creature.
Pishtaco
The pishtaco (or kharisiri, lik'ichiri) is the show's primary South American borrowing. This figure from Andean folklore — particularly Peruvian and Bolivian tradition — is a fat-stealing creature that typically takes the form of a white, foreign-looking man. The pishtaco legend is widely understood as an indigenous metaphor for colonial exploitation: Europeans who came to extract resources from indigenous lands and bodies.
Supernatural's adaptation focuses on the literal fat-draining ability while removing the colonial commentary that gives the folklore its real significance. In the show's version, the pishtaco is simply a creature that feeds on body fat, presented in a modern context of a weight-loss spa.
Broader Traditions
South American folklore contains many other supernatural figures that Supernatural has not explored: the Mapinguari of the Amazon (a large, ape-like creature), La Llorona (the weeping woman, shared with Mexican tradition and adapted in Season 1), the Chupacabra (which has become famous across Latin America and the American Southwest), and numerous figures from Amazonian shamanic traditions. The folklore of the Andes, the Amazon basin, the Pampas, and the Caribbean coast each contain distinct supernatural traditions shaped by the unique cultural histories of those regions.
Creatures from this Tradition
- Pishtaco - A fat-sucking creature from Peruvian folklore that drains human body fat to sustain itself.