NEWSLETTER

THE ENIGMATIC ZONE OF SILENCE
In 1966, engineer Harry de la Peña was commissioned by the Petróleos Mexicanos company to locate oil fields near the Bolsón de Mapimí river basin. The nature of his job required him to communicate with the rest of the brigades via radio. However, the transmission of frequencies was impeded by some mysterious but powerful interference. Intrigued, de la Peña tried other locations but the strange phenomenon persisted. After experiments and tests, he concluded that this “zone” possessed an inexplicably high electromagnetic energy index.

Found between the states of Durango, Chihuahua, and Coahuila, it is believed this expanse of desert contains enormous mineral deposits, which seem to generate potent electromagnetic fields that impede radio waves. This magnetism also causes compasses to fail, and many believe this area attracts more meteorites than any other part of the world.

In July 1970, NASA launched an Athena rocket into space from the Green River base in Utah to study the upper atmosphere. The capsule was slated to land in White Sands, New Mexico, but it was curiously diverted to what came to be known as the Zone of Silence. NASA alerted the Mexican government about the unexpected landing, cautioning that it contained the highly radioactive element cobalt-57. Mexico granted NASA permission to search for the rocket, and NASA sent a large contingent of North American scientists and soldiers.

Using the cleanup of radioactive chemicals as cover, NASA extended its stay after realizing the zone’s scientific potential. According to investigators, NASA had discovered that the region generates a huge electromagnetic vortex ideal for launching rockets into space. Mexican president Luis Echevarría denied this request and they were ordered to evacuate the area within 72 hours. Many mysteries still remain in the Zone of Silence, which is likened to other enigmatic places like the Bermuda Triangle. It is also said that the zone houses an extraterrestrial base and that its large magnetic vortex is used as a dimensional energy portal through which UFOs leave and arrive. The zone will continue to be an enigma until its anomalies are explained.


SNARING A CHANEQUE
In June 2007, workers at a veterinary ranch in Metepec found that some birds they were breeding had been mysteriously killed. Fearing that some hungry rat was the cause of these attacks, they set up traps and waited. The following afternoon, Angel Nuñez, a veterinary assistant, found “something” lodged in the trap. He tossed it into a tanning solution without looking, figuring it was one of the pesky Egyptian rats that sometimes found their way to the ranch.

The next day it was discovered that the “rat” was really a small life-form with humanoid characteristics. Angel informed his colleagues immediately and they examined the strange creature, which exhibited a morphology neither had ever seen. The being was around 28 inches tall, with a large head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, incisors, hands with five fingers, and, most intriguingly, a tail.

Francisco García, an employee at the ranch, recalled this about the incident: “It was a chaneque! They are elves that exist in the underworld and go around playing pranks. I’ve seen it when it comes out one side of the gate and looks out at the street. Then it retreats quickly when it notices I’m watching. This time we’ve trapped one and proved they’re real.”

The strange animal is still on display at the ranch as testimony to the existence of chaneques. Studies conducted on the body have proved inconclusive and, for now, the enigma of the humanoid being of Metepec continues.


THE WITCH OF GUADALUPE
In the early hours of January 16, 2004, Officer Leonardo Samaniego was doing his rounds in the municipality of Guadalupe, Nuevo León. Leonardo was turning on Alamo Street in his squad car when he saw a dark object fall from a tree and levitate above the ground. He switched on the emergency lights to see what was in front of him.

“It was a woman dressed in a black tunic and hat,” reports Leonardo. “She fell from the tree but didn’t touch the ground—she just floated. When I shined the lights on her, she turned and looked at me with an evil glare. She covered her eyes as if the light bothered her. She had dark skin, two huge black eyes without lashes, and was draped in a black cape and a hat. There wasn’t a broom or anything like that, but she flew and jumped on me! She was a witch!”

A few seconds later, the being jumped onto the car. Leonardo attempted to escape by putting the car in reverse before radioing the police station, asking for backup while the diabolic being clung to the windshield like a lamprey and tried to claw its way through the glass. Leonardo lost control, hit a fence, and was knocked unconscious. Soon after, ambulances arrived and police canvassed the area, believing some gang or delinquent had attacked him, but no evidence of this was found.

The media tagged the incident as the “Witch of Guadalupe” while an internal investigation was conducted. Leonardo was drug-tested and given a psychological evaluation, but the results revealed he was mentally sound and not under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. The secretary of public security concluded that the incident was real, and the case remains unsolved.


THE MIRACULOUS FIDENCIO
El Niño Fidencio is venerated as a saint, divine figure, and messenger of peace in Mexico. Originally from Guanajuato, Fidencio S. Constantino was an exceptional healer and spiritual guide. Blessed with great charisma and powers of persuasion, Fidencio (who was nicknamed El Niño—“The Child”—because of his baby face) managed to form a worship group despite barely being able to read or write. The group still has thousands of followers 50 years after his death.

Fidencio practiced healing—both physical and mental—since his youth. In 1921, his fame grew rapidly and his believers considered him illuminated and a saint, spreading word of his miraculous healings. Years later President Plutarco Elías Calles visited Fidencio and partook in a ritual involving Castile roses and pomade. After this, the country-born Fidencio was a figure at the national level.

Fidencio’s activity flourished for more than a decade and he received hundreds of followers who believed he was capable of miraculous cures, exorcisms, and blessings. However, the exhausting devotion and overwhelming activity affected his health and, in 1935, he showed symptoms of an illness not even he could cure. A few years later he died. His followers grieved and could not believe their spiritual guide was gone forever.

During a celebration of Fidencio’s feast day in Mexico, a couple found themselves visiting his former house, which today is a museum dedicated to his memory. They had cameras and took various photos, one of which depicted a room with a painting on the wall. Looking closer, they realized the photo showed a strange face that wasn’t present in person. They wondered who it was, so they decided to show the photo to the people in charge of the museum, who proclaimed, “That is the face of El Niño Fidencio!”

The news traveled among the faithful, who were sure that Fidencio had returned to the town, appearing in the painting as a signal that he was still among them. To this day he is venerated and prayed to throughout the country for his healing powers.


TO BE CONTINUED
MEXICO IS SPOOKY | 1 | 2 |

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