Mexico President Shares 'Proof' of Mythological Creature 'Alux': Mayan Elf 'Which Causes Chaos'

Do you believe in mythological creatures, mentioned in lore from ages ago? Apparently, Mexico’s President does. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Sunday uploaded a photo of what he thought was a fabled ‘alux’ on social media, adding “everything is mystical”.

The post has now received over a seven million views, and comes after tens of thousands of protestors gathered in Mexico City on the weekend to oppose President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s new law, which they fear undermines democracy in their country, as per a report by Time.

“I share two photos of our supervision of the Mayan Train works: 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,” Obrador says in his post. However, Twitter has flagged the image, providing viewers context that the first image is two years old.

“The first image is at least two years old, and was not taken recently as this Tweet suggests,” the Twitter advisory underneath the post reads.

However, as users debate the viral image, let’s take a look at what an Alux is:

What is an Alux?

There is a Mayan folklore about “small people” that has been passed down for centuries in Mexico, as per a report by Ancient Origins

As per a report by Time, Judith Storniolo, a researcher of Mayan languages and Native American culture wrote the mythology is based on the origin myth of the Mayan ethnic group the K’iche’. According to Storniolo, the Ki’che’ believed that before the advent of humans, the gods formed a race of dwarves out of mud. Dwarves had eyes that could see into the future and created stone homes. The report quotes J. Eric S. Thompson’s 1970 book “Maya History and Religion,” as saying that after the dwarf people misbehaved, their planet was destroyed in a great flood.

When the sun came out, the dwarves turned to stone. According to Thompson, the dwarves were also called “hunchback” or “bent” in Yucatec, but “dwarf” in other Mayan languages.

Dwarf images can now be discovered on Meso-American artefacts, such as funeral pots. Storniolo says the most prevalent are clay figurines on the island of Jaina, which is located west of the Yucatan peninsula. They are frequently depicted in art with round bellies, caps, and beards.

The Alux, a spiritual small person who produces mayhem, chaos, and ruin wherever it goes, is the subject of this legend. Aluxes were thought to exist somewhere on the Yucatan peninsula. They are normally invisible to humans, but legend has it that they can become visible when they wish to be naughty or playful, the report says. They are believed to be commonly found in natural environments such as jungles, forests, fields, caves, and even deep stones. They may, however, create a home anywhere they want as long as they have food, water, and shelter, the myth says.

Aluxes are supposed to be just knee-high and have broad, owl-like eyes when they are visible. They move quickly and have been said to have the body parts of various creatures such as iguanas, deer, macaws, and coatis, as per myths. Some physical characteristics of the creature are attributed to resemble those of sprites, spiritual fairy-like entities. Locals in Yucatan believe Aluxes can take on more horrifying forms, such as dark shadows or creatures with flashing red eyes, in some areas, the report says.

Who Were the Mayans?

As per Britannica, Mesoamerican Indians were known as the Maya, who lived in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Belize. Over five million individuals spoke 30 Mayan dialects in the early twenty-first century, the majority of whom were bilingual in Spanish.

Prior to the Spanish invasion of Mexico and Central America, the Maya had one of the most advanced civilizations in the Western Hemisphere, the report says. They farmed, erected enormous stone structures and pyramid temples, mined gold and copper, and utilised a kind of hieroglyphic writing that is now mostly deciphered.

Myths of the Mayans

The Maya shared the same gods and tales, erected pyramid-shaped temples, practised divination, and were interested in astronomy. There was also a ball game where teams battled to pass a solid rubber ball through a stone ring or hoop. This game could only be played by specific men and gods. Sometimes it was just a game, and other times it was a sacred ceremony, as per Myth Encyclopedia.

Itzamná was the Maya’s main god, ruling over the heavens, day and night, and the other deities. Itzamná was a cultural hero, a character credited with providing mankind with basic civilizational skills such as language and fire. He was said to be the first priest and the inventor of writing, and he was also associated with healing. Ixchel, his wife, was the goddess of fertility, pregnancy, and delivery. Women visited her shrines on pilgrimage.

Why are Mexicans Protesting?

Massive protests have taken place in numerous Mexican cities in response to what demonstrators claim are government tactics to discredit election authority, a report by BBC said. The largest occurred in Mexico City, where 500,000 people marched on the city’s main square, according to organisers. According to the municipal government, the figure is 90,000.

This week, lawmakers agreed to reduce the National Electoral Institute’s (INE) funding and employees. The INE is politicised, according to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Opponents, however, see the latest vote as an assault on democracy itself, and are urging the Supreme Court to invalidate it as illegal. Massive throngs gathered at Mexico City’s famous Zocalo Plaza on Sunday. Demonstrators poured into adjacent streets in the city centre.

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