Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the photo appears to show an alux, a creature from Yucatán folklore
Associated Press
Monday 27 February 2023 at 13:24 GMT
The Mexican President posted a photo on his social media accounts on Saturday showing a mythological forest spirit resembling an elf.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador didn’t seem to be joking he posted the photo of an Alux, a mischievous forest spirit in Mayan folklore.
López Obrador wrote that the photo “was taken three days ago by an engineer, it seems to be an Alux,” adding, “Everything is mystical.”
Les compared dos photos de nuestra supervision a las obras del Tren Maya: una, tomada por an engineer who had tres días, al parecer de an aluxe; otra, de Diego Prieto de una espléndida escultura prehispanica en Ek Balam. Todo es mistico. pic.twitter.com/Tr5OP2EqmU
— Andrés Manuel (@lopezobrador_) February 25, 2023
The night photograph shows a tree with a branch forming what appears to be a fringe of hair and stars forming the character’s eyes.
López Obrador has long expressed his reverence for indigenous cultures and beliefs. Work is underway in the Yucatán Peninsula to build a tourist train, which is the President’s pet project.
According to traditional Mayan belief, aluxe are small, mischievous creatures that inhabit forests and fields and tend to play tricks on people, such as hiding things. Some people leave small offerings to appease them.
The ancient Maya civilization reached its peak from 300 to 900 AD in the Yucatán Peninsula and adjacent parts of Central America, but descendants of the Maya still live in the peninsula.
Many still speak Mayan languages and wear traditional dress, while preserving traditional foods, crops, religion and medicinal practices despite the region’s conquest by the Spanish between 1527 and 1546.
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