Mexico’s President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, recently shared a photo on Twitter claiming that he had found a mystical elf in the wild. The photo shows a small figure perched on a tree branch, which the President claims is an “aluxe,” a mischievous woodland spirit from Mayan folklore. However, many people are skeptical of this claim and believe that it is simply a hoax.
The photo has sparked widespread debate and speculation online, with some people suggesting that the figure in the photo could be nothing more than a drug addict or someone dressed up in costume. Others have pointed out that there is no scientific evidence to support the existence of aluxes or any other mystical creatures.
“I share two photos of our supervision of the Mayan Train works,” the president tweeted in Spanish on Saturday. “One, taken by an engineer three days ago, apparently from an aluxe. Another, by Diego Prieto of a splendid pre-Hispanic sculpture in Ek Balam. Everything is mystical.”
https://twitter.com/lopezobrador_/status/1629617208899895296https://twitter.com/lopezobrador_/status/1629617208899895296
However, Twitter’s fact check suggests that the photo was actually taken years ago.
Despite these doubts, President López Obrador has stood by his claim and insisted that the photo is genuine. He has even gone so far as to suggest that the discovery of this elf-like creature could have important implications for our understanding of Mayan culture and history.
However, many experts remain unconvinced. According to Dr. Juan Carlos Flores-Mejía, an anthropologist at Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, there is no evidence to suggest that aluxes ever existed outside of folklore and mythology. He argues that while these stories may be interesting from a cultural perspective, they should not be taken as literal truth.
Others have pointed out that there are many possible explanations for what might be seen in the photograph. For example, it could be an optical illusion caused by shadows or foliage. Alternatively, it could be a cleverly staged hoax designed to generate publicity for the President or distract from more pressing issues facing Mexico.
Ultimately, whether or not there really is a mystical elf living in the wilds of Mexico remains to be seen. While some people may choose to believe in such things based on faith or tradition, others will require more concrete evidence before accepting such claims as fact.
