The Flying Humanoids Of South America
The city of Santa Catarina in Eastern Mexico possesses few claim to notoriety. Situated on the main route between Monterey and Saltillo, it was originally little more than a waypoint for weary travelers, but eventually expanded into a more permanent settlement as time passed by. In many ways, it's almost indistinguishable from any other Mexican town or city and yet it appears to lie at the heart of an enduring and inexplicable mystery. One that continues to generate no small amount of fear and apprehension among the people of the region.
Terror in the Graveyard
In September 2006, Officer Gerardo Carvajal was ordered to investigate a local graveyard on the outskirts of Santa Catarina, after a call from a member of the public reporting suspicious activity. Any eagerness that Carvajal had been feeling at the prospect of apprehending wrong-doers quickly dissipated, however, when he was further updated, that the witness had reported seeing two witches flying around in the sky above the site.
When Carvajal arrived at the entrance to the graveyard, he found the wrought-iron gate securely padlocked, forcing him to exit his vehicle and proceeded into the deserted location on foot. As he cautiously picked his way between the ornate crypts and tombstones, he was thankful that there was still some daylight. The prospect of wandering around in the dark was not one he relished. The officer had been investigating the scene for about five minutes, when he had started to develop a strong feeling of anxiety.
As he looked all around, there was nothing unusual to be seen and yet he could not shake the sense that someone or something dangerous was lurking nearby. With a sick feeling, he came to a halt and slowly turned his eyes up towards the heavens. Directly overhead, about 100 feet up, a pair of dark figures hovered in the evening sky. Carvajal strained to make out any details on the entities, but could not tell what, if any, clothing they were wearing. He remained paralyzed by a consuming sense of dread, noting the two beings were completely immobile, remaining motionless in one spot as they looked down and regarded him.
Suddenly, those movement and the two figures started to descend slowly and purposefully towards him. As they drew closer, he was able to make out and mottled and greying skin, long spindly fingers with sharp claws and what looked like fur or feathers covering their bodies. With a shriek, Carvajal thumbed his radio and yelled for assistance, before turning on his heels and running for his life. He had heard the approaching sirens, before he reached the gate and turned to see that the figures were now rapidly rising up into the sky, leaving the scene.
As the first of his colleagues reached him they too could see two faint shapes gradually receding into the distance. The subsequent police report would make for disturbing reading, but it was by no means the most disturbing encounter that a Mexican police officer would have with these creatures.
Attack of the Police Vehicle by an Apparition
On the evening of January the 16th, 2014, another police officer by the name of Leonardo Santiago had been carrying out a routine patrol in the neighborhood city of Monterey. He'd been cruising through the silence suburban streets, when out the corner of his eye he thought he had seen a dark form falling onto the ground, backlit by the street lamps along one of the side roads he'd been passing. Santiago backed up his patrol car, and turned into the street in question. His vehicle headlights, immediately illuminated the shape that he had just seen and caused him to cry out in surprise.
The object was apparently hovering in midair, having come to a halt about a foot and a half above where it should have made contact with the ground. But even more astonishing was the fact that it was slowly unfolding before his very eyes into an elongated humanoid figure. The officer stared in utter bewilderment at the entity which was now standing fully upright, seemingly trapped within the powerful high beams of light that his cruiser was projecting. It was dark in color, covered from head to toe in some form of leathery skin, and he thought he could detect the outlines of female features, but it was the creature's eyes or rather lack of eyes that were the most disturbing.
Two empty hollowed-out sockets were located where the eyes should have been. The unending darkness they exhibited seem to transfix him, drawing his gaze and preventing him from turning his head to look away. The apparition stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. Its face remaining oddly expressionless, before it uttered forth an inhumane scream and launched itself towards him. Santiago tempted to throw the cruise into reverse, but the creature slammed into the car's bonnet with unbelievable ferocity, the impact immediately propelled the vehicle backwards several feet.
The police officer screamed out in terror, finally managing to find the correct gear and accelerating backwards at great speed. On the bonnet of the car, the creature howled again and pounded on the metalwork, leaving sizable dents and deep scratches. As the cruiser hurdled backwards out of the side street and onto the main road, Santiago slammed down hard on the brakes in a concerted attempt to dislodge the attacker, but it's stubbornly maintained its grip on the vehicle's bonnet.
He desperately started to fumble for his side arm, but with incredible speed the creature was up and pressed against the windscreen, howling at him with unrestrained anger through the toughened glass. The car was now rocking wildly from side to side, as the nightmarish figure rained blow after blow down upon it, continuing its relentless attack. Repeatedly failing to unholster his weapon, Santiago was helplessly thrown around in his seat, until his head finally impacted on the doorframe knocking him out cold.
When he came to, he was surrounded by other officers, trying to find out what had happened to him and why the police car was in such a state. Unsurprisingly, Santiago's emotional and somewhat disjointed explanation for what had taken place during the encounter failed to satisfy his superiors, who ordered that he be subjected to a battery of both physiological and psychological assessments. While none of these produced any evidence of impairment and there were other subsequent reports from local residents that strange figures had been witnessed moving back and forth in the skies above Monterey, he was quietly reinstated back to full duty.
It's perhaps human Instinct to dismiss these two fantastical kinds of ineffectual police officers, perhaps trying to cover up for their own misdeeds, particularly in the absence of any corroborating evidence. But unlike the majority of other reported Supernatural encounters, the flying humanoids of South America is a phenomenon that has stubbornly persistent in the face of growing technological advancement.
There's a wide and colorful variety of arguments and theories regarding who or what these strange visitors maybe, with proposals ranging from wildly fantastical, to far more ordinary alternatives. It's also thought that as these sightings and encounters continue to occur with such a high level of regularity, it may not be long before hard evidence becomes available to provide much-needed credibility to these speculative explanations.
Aztec and Mayan cultures
Many commenters elect to go back into the distant past, delving into the histories of Mexico's original Aztec and Mayan cultures for answers. These two ancient societies have managed to retain a frustrating level of mystery and secrecy, despite having been subjected to a high level of scrutiny over the passage of time. Intriguingly, both are civilizations which elicit multiple references to awe-inspiring Gods and Monsters as well as stories about human beings who somehow gained the ability to fly.
Given the particularly monstrous and unnatural descriptions of these creatures which were encountered by the Mexican police officers, parallels have been drawn with the Mayan demigod Camazotz, a flying being with a bat like appearance, who would routinely descend from the mountainous regions to terrorize the local populace.
Conversely, the Aztec people worshipped a powerful being named Quetzalcoatl, who was nicknamed the god of the Wind. Their texts and manuscripts describe him as resembling a feathery serpent, but interestingly, they also make reference to the fact that he derived his ability to fly through a magic amulet that he wore around his neck. Could it be that the creatures such as these, who were once worshipped as deities by our ancestors were in fact some form of hybrid or Cryptid, the offspring of which are now beginning to emerge and encroach on a burgeoning modern-day society?
Legends persist that the ancient tribes who originally settled in the South American continent were in fact the beleaguered survivors of Atlantis and were able to salvage some of their technology and knowledge from the decimated underwater Kingdom. Some commentators believe that the architecture of the towns and cities was designed to be navigated and accessible from the air as it was from the ground, as flying machines were readily available and in regular use.
The town of Quimbaya is located in the northwest of Columbia, and has been the site of a number of significant archeological relics. In particular, a series of golden jewelry pieces, which date back to 1000 BC and bear a striking resemblance to modern day jet aircraft have been recovered there. These miniatures possess what appears to be cockpits, wings and tail fins and some cases propellers.
In 1994, German Aeronautical Engineers even managed to create working prototypes based on the pieces, which were deemed fully capable of flight, assuming there was an accompanying power source. It's further argued that it is not just the depth of the ocean where this mysterious technology may have originated from, but also the far reaches of outer space. Commonalities in the architecture and writings of ancient civilizations across distant reaches of the world have given rise to the theory that the Earth has been previously visited by extraterrestrial visitors.
Conclusion
Artwork and drawings from all across the globe depict humanoid figures wearing odd-looking apparatus floating in the skies. Could it be that these ancient aliens are now returning to observe how mankind has evolved in their absence or indeed, that they never actually left the Earth at all? There is, of course, the viewpoint that what is being witnessed and documented here is neither an ancient god nor an extraterrestrial visitor, but is instead a far more human undertaking. Investigators seeking to debunk the flying humanoid phenomenon have been keen to point out that the quality video footage is never sufficient to make out any real detail and that there are a number of terrestrial explanations.
In urban areas, it is possible that silhouettes seen traveling across the horizon are in fact devices used in the construction industry, that move along wires and carry materials between tall buildings. It had also been argued that the shapes can easily be recreated by using novelty balloons, or by tightly securing bundles of normal balloons together. These may have escaped from public functions or even being deliberately released in an effort to create the hoax.
One of the most frustrating and undermining elements of the story of the South American flying humanoids is the different ways in which the people have been involved have interpreted what they have seen. To some witnesses, these figures are monsters or cryptids, to others they are demons or witches. And to others still, they are aliens or time-traveling humans. Rarely has a phenomenon been so open to interpretation.
What we are faced with is compiling eyewitness testimony, but frustratingly poor quality evidence, which can easily be pivoted or angled to support either that opposing viewpoints. What is not a matter of debate, however, is the absolute terror which these sightings continue to evoke, or the regularity with which they occur. Whatever is taking place in the skies of of Mexico and its neighboring countries, it has shown no signs of abating and will undoubtedly continue to provoke arguments for some time yet to come. The countries, cultures, and people of South and Central America are amazing and beautiful in their own right. There are many fascinating places to visit, but there's no denying that some of these regions can be fraught with danger. If ever you venture out that way, of course be vigilant. But also remember to look up every now and then.