Mexico’s president went viral on social media after sharing a photo of what appears to be a mysterious, mythological creature.
On Feb. 25, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador posted the alleged photo of the mythical creature called an “alux” up in a tree, claiming the photo “was taken three days ago by an engineer,” per Twitter’s translation.
“Everything is mystical,” he added.
The photo, taken at night, shows trees and what appears to be creature perched up on a branch. The supposed creature’s face is surrounded by a halo of hair or a hood, and it appears to have glowing eyes.
See below:
@lopezobrador_ via Twitter
On Twitter, many users tried to decipher the supposed creature in the photo.
“It’s a raccoon with a bag on its head,” one person suggested.
“The glowing eyes are disturbing! I’m glad that I wasn’t in the forest with the engineer,” another tweeted.
“I caught one of those in Pokémon Go,” someone else joked.
What Is an Alux in Mexican Folklore?
Aluxes are small, mischievous creatures that live in forests and like to play tricks on people, according to traditional Mayan belief. It is said that some individuals leave small offerings to appease the mythical, elf-like creatures.
According to Ancient Origins, “when visible, aluxes (or aluxob, in the Mayan language) are only knee-high and have wide, owl-like eyes. They are also quick in their movements, and some have even been said to have the body parts of other animals including iguanas, deer, macaws, or coati.”
The ancient Mayan civilization reached its peak on the Yucatan Peninsula and in certain parts of Central America from 300 A.D. to 900 A.D. Many Mayan descendants continue to live on the peninsula today.
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