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While the folkloric origins of the figure of La Llorona are shrouded in obscurity, there is some evidence that the story might include elements of Aztec mythology in its roots. According to History Today, the figure of La Llorona shares some DNA with some Aztec goddesses who were said to have been omens of the conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes. The first of these, Ciuacoatl ("snake-woman"), is described in the Florentine Codex, a 16th century work by a Franciscan monk cataloging the culture of the Nahua peoples of Mexico, as a "savage beast and an evil omen" dressed in white who prowled the land at night "weeping and wailing." A later codex describes Coatlicue, who is identified with Ciuacoatl, as a goddess who weeps while waiting for her child to return from war. Both codices describe a woman wailing in the streets for her lost children as an omen of war and conquest.

The Florentine Codex goes on to tell of the goddess Chalchiuhtlicue ("the jade-skirted one"), who was a widely feared goddess of the waters. She was known to overturn boats and drown the sailors within. According to the codex, children were sacrificed to Chalchiuhtlicue, and the more they cried, the more the goddess was propitiated. While it's not completely clear that La Llorona is a true descendant of these figures, the presence of wailing women, drowning, and infanticide is somewhat compelling.

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