En la creencia folklórica mexicana sobreviven dos personajes hasta nuestros días: el nahual y el diablo, de origen prehispánico y española, respectivamente. Juegan un papel importante en el control social, principalmente entre algunos grupos indígenas y mestizos. Este artículo discute la función que tienen el nahual y el diablo en la fiesta de La Candelaria en Coyoacán In Mexican folk belief two mythical persons exists who surviveto our days; the nahual and the devil, of Prehispanic and Spanish origin, respectively. They play an important role in social control, mainly among some indigenous and mestizo groups. In this article I discuss the function of the nahual and the devil in a village which is part of the city of Mexico, surrounded by the metropolis, the Candelaria Sector of Coyoacan. This neighborhood has a prehispanic origin of nahua culture, where rural patterns of life are still preserved and where these mythical beings are until today prominent in local thought and activities.