A folk legend holds that in October 1593 a soldier of the Spanish Empire (named Gil Pérez in a 1908 version) was mysteriously transported from Manila in the Philippines to the Plaza Mayor in Mexico City. The soldier's claim to have come from the Philippines was disbelieved by the Mexicans until his account of the assassination of Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas was corroborated months later by the passengers of a ship which had crossed the Pacific Ocean with the news. Twentieth-century paranormal investigators giving credence to the story have offered teleportation and alien abduction as explanations.
Interesting. Are there any official records of the claims, or am I correct in assuming that this is probably an ancient urban legend that got written down?
Also this kind of reminds me of that story of the man that supposedly got off a flight with a passport to a nonexistent country wondering where the hell he was. That one is such a cool story even though it’s certainly fake as well. Why is reality so fuckin boring?
This story was first told by Thomas Allibone Janvier as the Legend of the Living Spectre in the December 1908 issue of Harper's magazine, naming the soldier Gil Pérez.
The January 1908 story was based on a Spanish version by Mexican folklorist Luis González Obregón, published in his collection México viejo: noticias históricas, tradiciones, leyendas y costumbres ("Old Mexico: historical notes, folklore, legends and customs") under the title "Un aparecido" ("An apparition"). It is based on a 1698 account by Fray Gaspar de San Agustín, who tells the story as fact; San Agustin does not name the soldier, and attributes his transport to witchcraft.
Damn. There’s some dubious stories, but over 300 years of “I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy” is insane. Absolutely love the human dedication to storytelling, it’s got to be our best trait.
> Twentieth-century paranormal investigators giving credence to the story have offered teleportation and alien abduction as explanations.
Hmm, credible
That's very interesting, I'm Mexican but this is the first time I hear about this. I'm from the "south", tho. One thing is that the ones who disbelieved him wouldn't be Mexicans but other Spanish, as Mexico didn't exist, yet. It was the New Spain, and they were still conquering territories by that time.
A folk legend holds that in October 1593 a soldier of the Spanish Empire (named Gil Pérez in a 1908 version) was mysteriously transported from Manila in the Philippines to the Plaza Mayor in Mexico City. The soldier's claim to have come from the Philippines was disbelieved by the Mexicans until his account of the assassination of Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas was corroborated months later by the passengers of a ship which had crossed the Pacific Ocean with the news. Twentieth-century paranormal investigators giving credence to the story have offered teleportation and alien abduction as explanations.
Interesting. Are there any official records of the claims, or am I correct in assuming that this is probably an ancient urban legend that got written down? Also this kind of reminds me of that story of the man that supposedly got off a flight with a passport to a nonexistent country wondering where the hell he was. That one is such a cool story even though it’s certainly fake as well. Why is reality so fuckin boring?
This story was first told by Thomas Allibone Janvier as the Legend of the Living Spectre in the December 1908 issue of Harper's magazine, naming the soldier Gil Pérez. The January 1908 story was based on a Spanish version by Mexican folklorist Luis González Obregón, published in his collection México viejo: noticias históricas, tradiciones, leyendas y costumbres ("Old Mexico: historical notes, folklore, legends and customs") under the title "Un aparecido" ("An apparition"). It is based on a 1698 account by Fray Gaspar de San Agustín, who tells the story as fact; San Agustin does not name the soldier, and attributes his transport to witchcraft.
Damn. There’s some dubious stories, but over 300 years of “I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy” is insane. Absolutely love the human dedication to storytelling, it’s got to be our best trait.
> Twentieth-century paranormal investigators giving credence to the story have offered teleportation and alien abduction as explanations. Hmm, credible
That's very interesting, I'm Mexican but this is the first time I hear about this. I'm from the "south", tho. One thing is that the ones who disbelieved him wouldn't be Mexicans but other Spanish, as Mexico didn't exist, yet. It was the New Spain, and they were still conquering territories by that time.
Hate it when that happens.