Spain: An Interview With J.M. García Bautista

Spain: An Interview With Jose Manuel Garcia Bautista

[Last week we reported on Jose Manuel García Bautista’s latest ufological endeavor, the Ufologia Historica website. This week we’ve managed to secure an interview with him, and it is indeed a fitting way to end 2009! – SC]

Jose Manuel, since the mid-‘90s the concept of “regional ufology” has become very popular, not only when discussing the UFO/paranormal case histories of countries, but of the regions within countries. In what way can Andalusian ufology be said to differ from that of the rest of Spain?

Andalusian ufology bears little similarity with that of the rest of the nation’s territory, and perhaps the main difference can be found within the researcher himself or herself. The idiosyncrasies of the Andalusian researchers makes him or her more open, and with a vision of the UFO phenomenon that is highly influenced by foreign trends. This can be stressed even further when we appraise the work performed by those early pioneers of ufology to whom “Ufologia Historica” is devoted. These were researchers by their very nature – field researchers, boots on the ground types who would visit a location and spend months following on phenomena in real time. Their only defect was to believe in that which they investigated, therefore the impartiality of some of their research is questionable, but by no means less valuable or significant.

Many of those pioneering researchers followed the French trends of Aimée Michel or Jacques Vallée, as well as that of Antonio Ribera i Jordá, with whom many maintained correspondence, or with journalist Carlos Murciano. There can be no question that this was a highly valuable and cultured “UFO line of thought”, which made it highly contemplative, aimed at looking beyond ufology itself. This gave rise to Trans-Ufology or ufological philosophers such as Ignacio Darnaude.

Those pioneers blazed the trail for a form a UFO study regardless of its level. It also guided the formation of associations, whether formal or informal, between researchers and the importance of having a good network of correspondents and sources, or the value of interview forms and files of sightings.

Contemporary ufology in this region of Spain is highly analytical. Far from chasing lights, we are also interested in finding out what lies behind this intriguing phenomenon, whether because it is apparently frozen and not developing, or because there is the false presumption that it is not evolving. There is a great deal of analysis, documentation and comparison between sightings, creating the databases for studying a phenomenon as elusive as the UFO. Yet today, we can barely find differences between researchers nationwide. A change of methodology may be possible, but the purpose of research will remain the same. It has not changed in over 50 years.

Could you tell us what is the oldest case recorded in Andalucia?

It would be necessary to consult the files, but offhand I can remember a luminous phenomenon mentioned by Diego Torres de Villaroel, a court chronicler to the Spanish king, in the 15th century. It’s a very interesting case. It occurred in 1464 and is featured in the chronicles of our city, Seville, witnessed by hundreds of churchgoers who were exiting the Cathedral. King Enrique IV’s chroniclers, the priest Diego Enriques del Castillo and Alonso de Palencia documented it for posterity. It reads thus: “In the city of Seville there was a wonderful phenomenon never seen before. Without there being any wind or hurricane, some of the trees of the Alcazar’s grove were drawn upward, uprooted and hurled over the city walls. One of the Alcazar’s towers was sliced as though by a knife. A statue of King Don Pedro, carved in stone and bearing a metal diadem, standing on a pedestal in the gardens, vanished and was never seen again. Numerous arches of the aqueduct, known as Caños de Carmona, plummeted without their sudden collapse causing any noise. This all happened at noon, at the time when people left the Cathedral after hearing Mass. Religious people bearing the stamp of age, as well as innocent children, claim having seen armed men riding through the air.” This eyewitness account is from 1464. An author of magic realism might say to all this that “yesterday’s gods are tomorrows astronauts”, and they are perhaps right, although other scholars and theologians tried to construe this manifestation of winged, armed beings in the skies over Seville as a vision of guardian angels insuring the integrity of the city’s faith. This chronicle was promptly delivered to Enrique IV, who was hunting near Jaén, and he marveled at the miraculous event that occurred along the banks of the Guadalquivir River.

Another event, considered miraculous at the time, took place in our skies toward the first half of the 18th century. A heavenly phenomenon, considered supernatural, an omen from heaven or from the angels themselves. It seems that luminous orbs of flashing light appeared over Seville “with a glow”. Many witnesses in the city’s center believed that they saw the faces of the city’s male and female patron saints within the orbs, and other saints from the Catholic church calendar of the time, which was as devout as it was fearful.

The Dean of the School of Mathematics of the University of Salamanca, Diego Torres de Villarroel, an astrologer, priest and man of letters, endeavored to explain the curious phenomenon of “Unidentified Religious Objects” that startled residents of the city at the time. There is evidence that the former president of Seville’s Royal Academy of Medicine, Gabriel Sanchez de la Cuesta, owned a copy of the astrological interpretation or explanation offered by Diego Torres de Villarroel, even when the phenomenon never received a satisfactory explanation. Was it an illusion, mass suggestion, a chimerical vision of the devout, or a miracle? Difficult answers to a hard question.

Researcher and author Jesus Callejo was telling me about this phenomenon: ‘There is a very little-known work by Villarroel that he published in 1730. It has a somewhat lengthy title but it could be translated as “The Judgment and Forecast of the Orb and Three Columns of Fire that were Seen in Our Spanish Horizon.” This monograph, more than a work of literature, describes three flying objects that puzzled our stalwart chronicler, but none of them corresponds to Seville.” Perhaps contemporary scholars would classify these same strange flying objects in the sky as “unidentified flying objects”. But to people of that time, the Seville of the 18th century, it was a matter of faith and miracles. Therefore, why not discuss it as an “Unidentified Religious Object”? It’s an unusual term, but it speaks to the fact of unidentified luminous phenomena in the sky prior to 1947, when Kenneth Arnold came across a flotilla of unidentified flying objects.

What is the perspective of your region’s researchers with regard to the worldwide UFO phenomenon?

You’ll find a little of everything, from a critical perception of the phenomenon, which is the most negative toward its reality, to the one that argues for the extraterrestrial hypothesis, which is perhaps the opposite pole, the most uncritical vision of this phenomenon. The middle ground includes more carefully weighted, studied, reflective and analytical perspectives, the ones that argue for researching the phenomenon, gleaning information on what was seen, collecting eyewitness accounts, visiting the site, securing “evidence” if any, having it analyzed, summarize facts, request further information and make comparisons with other cases, analyze the witness’s credibility, check for other incidents at the time, and subsequently study it all, issuing a report, sharing it and holding a round table discussion on the particular case and others. This is perhaps the most fulsome version of UFO research, but the most valid one, in the end.

Regarding other cases worldwide, such as ones in Great Britain, Norway, China or Argentina in recent times, we analyze all the information we receive in this regard, although there is great mistrust in UFO videos given the number of frauds and hoaxes, and the same goes for photographs, although these are taken into consideration. The phenomenon is perceived as analogous to what is going on within our own territory, but we also notice how the various cultures or beliefs of the area where the sighting or encounter took place inform conclusions about them. From the information that reaches us, the perception of a UFO sighting in Capilla del Monte, Argentina is not the same as [a similar sighting] in Xi’an or Shaanxi in China. There can be a greater belief in the ETH in one than in the other, where aside from the difficulty of getting information, it can be seen from a military standpoint (very fashionable nowadays) or the resurgence of legends or millennia-old traditions in the remotest Chinese villages. Visions or perceptions suggest that the manner of understanding the UFO phenomenon is specific to each region of the planet, and to each culture.

What’s the most intriguing case in your files?

The most intriguing case is a recent one that once more displays the military’s interest in this subject. The case occurred within an air force base and is [covered] by the slab of official secrecy. The most intriguing fact is that despite this official secrecy, career officers are willing to discuss their UFO encounter and their experiences.

But it’s not the only one. We can also find cases involving abductions, contactees, and certain details of the UMMO case that are also to be found in my files. Perhaps the most curious of these concerns a “victim” or “witness” to an encounter having the chance of entering into a dialogue with one of the alleged alien machine’s occupants, and whose experience was repeated days later at his own home. A deliberate event or a matter of chance? I don’t believe in chance...

What would you like to tell the English-reading audience about UFO/paranormal research in Spain?

Well, first of all, that we are following the same phenomenon that is taking place in different parts of our world; that we share the same interest; that there is very good UFO research being conducted in Spain, and that we are always willing to share this information with researchers in other countries to expand our knowledge and widen our databases (and there ought to be a world-wide one, free to all); that the phenomenology is the same, and that cultures influence the manner of seeing, studying and analyzing the phenomenon, which is a very interesting fact.

It would be a source of considerable satisfaction to get in touch with other researchers to make this information known, to compare case histories, draw common conclusions in both and find other ways of researching this phenomenon. We might perhaps make a little headway in ascertaining its source and origin to move into the field of Trans-Ufology.

The United States is where the major researchers of the UFO field can be found, and the same goes for the United Kingdom. These are conscientious scholars whose vision is very important to Spanish ufologists, as they have outlined a path to be followed, a manner of thinking, understanding and studying the phenomenon.

I closely follow the information that reaches me from the U.S., and as you know, I speak and read English rather well, and thanks to this I’m abreast of UFO information “over there”, which is so important, and as well as the dissemination efforts carried out by publications such as yours, Scott, and the fantastic work you do. I would like to get in touch with anyone interested in e-mailing me, and to expand their knowledge of the UFO phenomenon in Spain and Andalusia as much as they wish, and I would equally like to drink from their own sources. You can reach me at correo@garciabautista.net

Jose Manuel, thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions with the readers of INEXPLICATA, and we look forward to hearing from you in 2010!

Argentina: Spanish Tourists See UFO in Cachi

Source: El Tribuno and Planeta UFO
Date: December 30, 2009
http://www.eltribuno.info/salta/diario/2009/12/27/municipio/ovnis-ya-forman-parte-del-atractivo-de-cachi

Argentina: Spanish Tourists Witness UFO in Cachi

*** Tourists from Spain claim seeing luminous object crossing the valley ***
*** A growing number of foreign tourists have come looking for “CE-3” experiences ***


A group of Spanish and Argentinean tourists who chose the Valles Chalchaquíes to spend their holiday never imagined that they would spend one of their most startling moments in the lives in Cachi, as they became witnesses to two strange object s in the sky which they unhesitatingly classified as unidentified flying objects (UFOs)

Deborah Marcos Orellana, 27, Paloma Euguren Orellana,21, Maria Aya, 32 all hail from Ibiza, Spain. In the company of Jorge Domicheli, 27, Carlos Paz and Martin Minghetti, 28 of Buenos Aires, they spent Saturday morning surveying the idyllic Cachian landscape. Meanwhile, in the evening, they decided to tour the community, where they heard locals discussing certain strange events that occurred frequently in the area, such as UFO sightings.

Skeptical at first, but curious, they decided to set out at sunset together toward the mountains. “We were fascinated by the landscape, and upon seeing that it was a beautiful sunset, we decided to walk along the mountains not far from town, and wait for nightfall in that immensity that leads to self discovery,” said Deborah, who brought her ten-month-old son along for the experience.

They told El Tribuno “we built a fire and inevitably began scanning the skies, when Paloma, one of the tourists, advised us of the presence of a strange object moving in the sky. We tried to ascertain if it was an airplane or some sort of known craft, but the light’s intensity and strange oscillating movement discarded that theory altogether.”

The tourists recalled, “it was a somewhat cloudy night, but Jupiter and the Moon were visible in breaks. It was precisely between these two heavenly bodies that the luminous, flashing object went by, but not sufficiently so that we could capture it on our small domestic cameras. We started shouting with excitement, rubbed our eyes and couldn’t believe it. The object remained there for nearly a minute.”

A Second Sighting

“When we tried to recover from the impact, another vessel appear from the south and headed north, first slowly and then later, with astonishing speed, vanished into infinity,” explained Martin, still stunned by the strange event.

According to locals, events of this sort repeat frequently and turned the town in a choice sighting location for a growing number of tourists who come in from various parts of the world with the expectation of seeing, at least fleetingly, one of those strange objects in the sky. “There is much talk in Europe about the UFOs seen in Cachi. We were skeptical up to now, but we are returning home convinced that strange things happen there,” said Maria, who promises to return next year.

(Translation (c) 2009, S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Guillermo Gimenez, Planeta UFO and Daniel Diaz, El Tribuno)

Mexico: A Report from Mexico City Airport (MCIA)

Mexico: A UFO Report from MCIA
By Alfonso Salazar Mendoza and Ana Luisa Cid

On December 24, 2009 at 15:54 hours, the crew of an Aeromexico Boeing 737-800 reported that it had come across spherical traffic in the vicinity of Cerro de la Estrella (east of Mexico City). The aircraft had recently taken off from the airport.

I heard the conversation myself. I heard when they asked if there was other traffic on the screen on air corridor 21.

The airliner was at an altitude fo 10,000 meters under excellent visibility conditions.

This report can be added to other recent ones involving UFO sightings over the Mexican capital city, such as the one that occurred on Thursday, December 17 when platform personnel saw two spherical objects flying over Benito Juarez Airport. This occurred at 5:30 a.m. in a south-to-north direction, at an altitude of approximately one kilometer.

Another important reference we can provide is that during the thunderstorm in October 2009, plaform staff managed to photograph a UFO. It is thus possible to contribute more information of the phenomenon as it occurs in Mexico, where in many instances the witnesses are qualified airliner pilots.

(Translation (c) 2009, S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Prof. Ana Luisa Cid)

Argentina:Strange Lights Along the Chalchaquí River (2002)

Argentina: Strange Lights Along the Chalchaquí River (2002)
By Gaceta OVNI
www.gacetaovni.net

[Guillermo Gimenez has kindly sent us this article by the GACETA OVNI research group describing the “unknown luminous phenomena” witnessed in this section of Argentina, which has recently re-emerged into world prominence due to the manifestations of the “Mothership”, as it has come to be known.]

An Interview With Silvia Aguirre, Schoolteacher, 25, on March 3, 2002


The witness lives to the south of Cachí, facing the riverbed of the Chalchaqui River, which forms a small fertile valley. From this position, Cerro Tin Tin and Los Colorados are clearly visible. At 10:35 p.m., or perhaps twenty to 11:00 p.m. Sylvia was in the back of her home in the area in question, and managed to see the light, which she describes as “bright but not shiny, dull yet powerful.” This particular definition of a light is a constant for a considerablepart of the luminous phenomena reported in the area. Some say it resembles a fistful of snow or cold light in an effort to describe the fact that it does not flash, does not emit beams and has no iridescence either. Rather, resembles an object that is lit by another light, slightly fluorescent and intense.

The light turned on and off intermittently, rather than iluminated in the manner of a constant beacon. It did this for at least 15 minutes without changing its apparent position. Aguirre is not the only witness to this: all her neighbors on the same street noticed the singular event and got together to exchange views.

The light vanished from sight: they wondered if it was possible that it could have hidden behind ravine, although they do not remember this as a a geographic point of reference. But a long time would elapse before the light suddenly reappeared at a greater distance. This judgment was made based on the object’s clarity.

At this point, the object -- according to their description-- begins to emit a powerful beam similar to that of a flashlight, directly at the onlookers faces.. Surprise became widespread; there was disquiet and mounting fear in the group, but they continued to observe due to the object's particular characteristics. In fact, the luminous body appeared to float, moving through the air at a distance shorter than the original one. It was not possible to determine its size as of yet – “whenever it is, it's something big.”

"The light remained there and solid floating on and on, and moving. At one time it split into. It was in the facing field by the foothills. After splitting in two, it rejoined to form a rhombus.

While it is always hard to do exactly describe the curiosities that are evident in case such as this, a survey finally defines the true nature and strangeness of the events. Similes represent logical efforts to define effects and images that cannot be readily. It is for this reason, that we make textual references to the witnesses description. This is not a matter of linguistic felicity, contrary to what may be supposed. In UFO cases, people begin to be more exact and correct then the field researchers based description.

Details

It is not possible for the witness to determine when the split suddenly occurred. A second light appeared on the scene, having all the unexpected characteristics that are common to these events.

The lights were one on top of another. They were light yellow in color and triangular in shape. The shape is clearly made out as they started moving toward the river-it was there that they saw it firing red flashes. The six witnesses, including the main eyewitness, were startled by the display taking place before their eyes. Estimating distances and altitudes by references, the triangles were 30 m long, and their glow was intense, all the while maintaining the "opaque light" characteristic.

The objects moved from east to west, giving the impression that they were floating, not only because they were seen aloft, but also because they rose and descend slowly as they drifted toward the river. This was the witnesses' impression of the bodies headed toward them, and the main cause of their concern. Finally, were both triangles merged into a single figure to form a rhombus.

"It could be seen perfectly," Sylvia remarks. This must be the most impressive part of her sighting.

The reddish flashes increased, above but the object to display a peculiar characteristic: it not only floated as it moved, but its inner light appeared gelatinous.

This allusion describes the structure or composition of the rhomboidal mass. Inside it, the apparent matter was reminiscent of something flaccid, crossed by waves or ondulating slightly, much like a flag in the wind. This texture, more dynamic than rigid, did not change shape the external profile, the rhomboidal shape: it moved around inside it, much like a fish bowl that contains moving water. Or as Sylvia clearly explains, as slightly stirred gelatin.

It should be noted that the luminous objects hardly give the impression of being incorporeal sources of light, unless they have beams that make definition difficult. In the region of Cachi, many of the reported opaque bodies of light are similar to this case. Describing them as "lights" is only an approximate description of the phenomenon, regardless of the fact that they are associated with fire or lightning. There is no combustion involved, and even the effect of electric arc welding is an entirely unsuitable comparison, although a close one.

We had the chance to look at one of these objects through binoculars and the most appropriate to the definition to describe them was ice, or rather, like watching the moon glow on completely black background without being affected by its light. We are insisting on all manner of comparisons, because the definition of light in these cases can discard combustion, electric phenomena, or any other relation with natural phenomena. How can opaque light cast brightness like the sun without emitting beams?

The undefined light resembled a thick dynamic substance irradiating a powerful clarity that illuminates the surroundings. Following its trajectory, the witness indicated that the rhombus reaches fields adjacent to a river on the East. That is when it can be most clearly seen. Given their position, Sylvia can determine the relative length of the object, which exceeds the height of the canyon wall when it reaches River. This measurement is in excess of 50 m.

"Of course, it was very big, and it drew my attention. When it reaches those fields it was so clear and luminous that many people became afraid and ran back into their homes."

15 minutes elapsed during this process, from the second appearance until it assumed the shape of a rhombus and headed slowly north, moving diagonally along the river toward Barrio Lujan, although there is no certainty that it issued from the eastern edge of the Chalchaqui. In this slow process of departure, the object shortened the relative distance separating it from the witnesses: they saw a clear, elliptical reflection on the surface, as though the rhombus was projecting a beam of light downward. This is a reflection becomes more pronounced as the object vanishes over Barrio Lujan, and is still visible once the object has vanished from sight.

Fascinated, the witnesses tried to follow it with their eyes but the landscape conceals it definitely. They remain until 12:30 am waiting for something else to happen. The entire event lasted half an hour.

The remaining witnesses shared Sylvia’s impression: "It seemed to know where we were and that it was watching us. For that reason, we became frightened when it came toward us. "

This description is justified. From the bottom of the landscape, the object headed for the river, and was now facing the witnesses, who were the only ones to see the event, as there were no further references, despite the magnitude of this size and the circumstances. This is a common occurrence in such events.

But the place where it appeared is just as important: many geographic points are key, and previous events witnessed by Sylvia Aguirre confirm this.

"On that same day, right there-between Cerro Tin Tin and Los Colorados - I saw something like a tube fall to the ground. It was a green, phosphorescent thing that pierced the ground."

Describe the color.
Greenish blue.
Did you hear any sounds?
No, no, it came from above, although I noticed it late. I saw it vanishing below. It was in December, shortly before the holidays."

The observation lasted only a few moments, but she clearly recalls the object's considerable size and its light. It surprised her that it pierced the ground without making any sounds normally associated with a crash.

(Special thanks to Guillermo Gimenez, Planeta UFO, and Gaceta OVNI)

Argentina: The Salta Mothership Returns?

Source: Grupo G.A.B.I.E & Diario Popular On-Line
Date: 12.21.2009

The VISION OVNI group disclosed yesterday that “the community of Joaquin V. González in the Province of Salta was shaken by the presence – in broad daylight – of a cigar-shaped object that crossed the skies of this locality.” A mysterious interruption of cell phone service was reported while the phenomenon occurred.

“The phenomenon was recorded on Tuesday the 15th at 17:00 hours and was seen by a considerable segment of the population, which followed the strange device’s maneuvers in astonishment,” said Silvia Pérez Simondini, director of the VISION OVNI group. She also remarked “witnesses interviewed by researcher Tony Galvagno stated that what they saw [on this occasion] was identical to the one seen days earlier, but this time without lights.”

It was also reported that the “VISION OVNI investigator noted that the object was metallic, and that [the town] has been left without utilities yet again. Computers and cell phones are inoperative. With regard to the latter, the Personal mobile telephony company was contacted. No technical explanation was offered on the event, increasing the mystery of the strange phenomenon.”

Link:
http://www.popularonline.com.ar/nota.php?Nota=432656&fechaEdicion=2009-12-21%2000:00:00

(Translation (c) 2009, S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Grupo G.A.B.I.E and VISION OVNI)

Spain: Andalusia's UFO History On Line

Andalusia's UFO History on Line

Our friend and colleague Jose Manuel Garcia Bautista has returned to the field UFO and paranormal research with a new and noteworthy project: Ufología Histórica (www.ufologia-historica.tk) in which he endeavors to summarize southern Spain's extensive annals of UFO contact and supernatural experiences in a site that is easily accessible for anyone with an Internet connection and a desire to learn more about mysteries in this part of Spain. PDF files on particular cases are presented alongside audio interviews with luminaries of the field, such as Antonio Petit, Julio Marvizon and Helio Contreras.

José Manuel writes: "What do we mean by Ufologia Historica? Many readers and internauts visiting the site will have the same question. It is a slice of history devoted to the enigma of the unidentified flying objects, the so-called mystery of the 20th century, and the series of pioneers who took care to track, research and disclose all matters related to it. This was the first generation of UFO researchers, of people willing to invest a great deal of time, effort and money to pursue the enigma in the skies. They left behind hours of research, interview, dialogues, reflections, chats and thosuands of documents that would have been lost if a compilation and maintenance effort had not been undertaken. Today, we make available to you many of these pioneering documents: a slice of our history and as well as a slice of UFO history in our Andalusia."

The Iberian Peninsula's Andalusia region has contributed some of Europe's most intriguing UFO cases, including Aznalcollar case (a mass CE-3 event), incidents at the Coto de Doñana Wilderness Preserve, and an interminable history of strange craft entering and exiting coastal waters near Cádiz, Algeciras and other cities. Salvador Freixedo and Manuel Osuna -- one of the pioneers featured on the site -- once collaborated on a project documenting this wealth of case histories, and it would have been called Sesenta Casos de Ovnis (Sixty UFO Cases) but the typescript was conveniently lost by a publisher. Jose Manuel García Bautista's efforts will finally give us a glimpse into some of those bizarre events.

Colombia: College Photographer Captures Phantom UFO

From: Publimetro.cl & Planeta UFO
Date: 12.19.09

Colombia: College Photographer Captures Phantom UFO

The presence of "phantom" or "invisible" UFOs in digital photographs (and some analog ones, too) is a persistent and annoying situation. And a polarizing one, too. Many either embrace these objects as proof of the otherworldly or reject them outright as proof of the photographer's ineptitude. But Guillermo Gimenez of Planeta UFO has kindly sent us an article from the Chilean on-line newspaper Publimetro.cl that suggests that even college campuses are being plagued by the pesky "invisibles".

Juan Gabriel Sutachán, a graphics designer with Colombia's prestigious Universidad de los Andes, more specifically its School fo Sciences, was taking photos of the campus for a college fair and at no time saw the strange object, which subsequently appears flying over the School of Economics building of this academic institutuion.

"What I find truly curious is that I wasn't aware of the object while taking the photos. In fact, none of us present at the time ever noticed it, despite the fact that it was a particularly sunny and clear day. It was only when we downloaded the images to the computer that we noticed it," says Sutachán.

The "phantom UFO" depicted in this latest case shows a saucer-shaped form that emits a whitish-pink wake. The sequence of images was presented to Prof. Carlos Hernández of the Physics Department "As a rule, we physicists are very skeptical when dealing with such subjects, as we consider that there is always a logical and scientifically provable reason to explain any phenomenon. However, despite the fact that the image recorded its very curious, we will have to engage in a more thorough analysis before being able to say what it is."

Alas, the link at http://www.publimetro.cl/nota/noticias does not provide a copy of these images.

Argentina: Another Cattle Mutilation?

Luis Burgos writes: "During the first days of the month of December, a spate of strange animal deaths occured in a field bordering that of Angel Gatti, where 45 unknown prints were found, and which were investigated at the time. In this instance, a total of 10 animals (7 calves and 3 cows) experienced mysterious and precise incisions, especially around the udders. Unfortunately, the owner of the field, fearful of visits by curiosity-seekers and media, decided to set the carcasses on fire and blame the deaths on local dogs. This is the only version of the event that reached the ears of police authorities in [the town of] Bartolomé Bravo, who faced with the circumstances, nonetheless remain on alert together with FAO correspondents in the region."

(Translation (c) 2009, S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Guillermo Gimenez)

Chile: UFO Captured on Video

Our friends at NOUFA (Noticiario Ufológico Autónomo) have posted a video from Raul Gajardo Lepold, a long-time researcher whose work has been featured in Inexplicata in the past. The video shows an unusual light in the clear night sky over Angol on December 3, 2009. Mr. Gajardo was the researcher involved in the Angol CE-3 event of 2001, and this Chilean coastal city has been a hot-spot for unidentifed objects and strange entities for generations.

Thoughts on the Aguas Prietas "Contactee"

I usually have a rather jaundiced view of UFO “contactee” claims, regardless of the country in which the claim is made, but there’s something about the story told by Prof. Rodolfo Paredes (in the report provided by Prof. Ana Luisa Cid) that triggered a recollection. Whether or not Paredes is really in contact with “beings from Jupiter” is debatable, but the fact that they endeavor to make contact through his radio signal – it is unclear if Prof. Cid meant a “ham radio” frequency or something else – is very interesting. In the late 1970s, Puerto Rican UFO researcher Orlando Rimax played a recording of an alleged alien transmission on his Otros Mundos broadcast, which aired every Sunday morning in the city of San Juan. The recording could have been a hoax, naturally, but the heavily distorted voice of a being calling itself “Omicron” was definitely disturbing. It had a quality often associated with recorded sounds involving hauntings and paranormal goings-on, even though the entity professed an interplanetary origin, and they always do.

Back in 2003 I penned an article entitled “Spirit of the Radio” in which I discussed these broadcasts from allegedly non-human sources:

“The purported space entity [meaning Omicron, from Rimax’s 1977 radio program] had been picked up by a ham radio operation and it seemed to be taking a great deal of time establishing its non-human bona fides. Intrusions such as this one appear to be frequent in contactee circles; they are often dismissed as hoaxes, but they are nonetheless intriguing. In the latest reissue of George Hunt Williamson's classic contactee work "Other Flesh, Other Voices", UFO author and publisher Timothy Green Beckley makes the interesting note that Williamson was a ham operator "who claimed contact with extraterrestrial beings who were
continually broadcasting messages from spaceships circling in the Earth's uppermost atmosphere.

“Alleged TV and Radio Broadcasts from Space, an Internet document written by Jon Hurst, provides transatlantic equivalents to incidents similar to the "Omicron" transmission. In January 1971, a call-in show on Greater London Radio received a call from "a cold, metallic voice" claiming an extraterrestrial origin. The voice, which did not give itself a name, said it was "speaking by thought﷓transference guided by computer" and imparted the usual patter about the difficulties of life on Earth and humanity's unwillingness to forsake its primitive ways. When asked by the program's host if it was possible to humans to see the interstellar interlocutor, it replied that it was "possible to assume human appearance" for a specific number of minutes.

“The ubiquitous Ashtar Command, a source of "space brother" wisdom for many decades, apparently transcended wireless to appear on the small screen. The Command hijacked a number of transmitters belonging to the Southern ITV network at 5:12 p.m. on November 26, 1977, broadcasting its message directly over a news broadcast. The network appears to have been unaware of the problem at the time, or completely unable to correct it. "Possibly," writes Hurst, "this was because the source of the overriding signal was not terrestrial in nature."

“The message went on for a little over five minutes, and contained a familiar warning: "We come to warn you of the destiny of your race and your world so that you may communicate to your fellow beings the course you must take to avoid the disasters which threaten your world, and the beings on our worlds around you. This is in order that you may share in the great awakening, as the planet passes into the New Age of Aquarius. The New Age can be a time of great peace and evolution for your race, but only if your rulers are made aware of the evil forces that can overshadow their judgments."

Putting the New Age aside for a moment, it is nonetheless interesting that radio is somehow permeable to these entities. It remains to be seen if contemporary means of communication (iPhones, Blackberries, cell phones) are equally prone to manipulation.

One of the most intriguing on-going situations in South American ufology involves the activities of a group calling itself “Friendship”, hailing from one of the many islands of the Chonos Archipelago and variously associated with UFO aliens, interdimensional beings, holdovers from Nazi Germany and meddlesome CIA agents, depending on who’s writing the article. In 1984, a ham radio operator of by the name of Octavio Ortiz, a married resident of Santiago de Chile and proud owner of a 27 megacycle CB base station with which he talks to DXers all over the world, became the protagonist of a drama that unfolds to this very day. That year, Ortiz received a distress call from a vessel that claimed to be ensnared by a mysterious light that was playing havoc with the ship's electronics. The light--an unknown craft--descended even lower over the vessel. Bewildered, Ortiz offered to retransmit messages to the authorities of the port of Iquique on behalf of the ship's master.

As a result of this, Ortiz struck up a friendship with the ship's master, a man named Alberto, who told him that he had been recruited by mysterious "gringos" to ferry equipment and supplies to their mysterious island. These elusive northerners described themselves as a "congregation" and dubbed themselves and their island "Friendship".

Octavio Ortiz would eventually have the chance to speak directly over his ham radio with one "Ariel", one of the strange members of the Friendship. In an interview with Spanish journalist and broadcaster Josep Guijarro, Ortiz explained that whenever "Ariel" speaks to him over the ham radio, the needles on his equipment jump, indicating that a transmitter of enormous power is being employed. Nor is Ortiz the only one to speak with this entity: his wife Cristina boldly asked "Ariel" where he and his group came from. The voice replied that they were "not of this world, but belonged to Humankind."

In August 1985, little over a year since Ortiz relayed the message from the vessel besieged by the strange craft, a shining object appeared in the early afternoon over their home in Santiago. According to their testimony, a voice on the ham radio bade them to "Come out! come out!" After doing so and talking to "Ariel" on the ham radio, they realized that the UFO was an object remotely controlled by the mysterious Friendship.

According to Guijarro, renowned ufologist Jorge E. Anfruns made note of a highly important detail: "Some of the ham operators were phoning the newspapers to report interference with their sophisticated equipment." Proof that strange cabal actually controlled the saucer? The Ortiz family believes that the object was not remotely controlled, but that their friend "Ariel" was actually aboard it.

More could be said about this bizarre sect of humans who possess advanced technology or aliens who claim some sort of kinship with our species, but it goes far beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that the Chilean Navy appears to have been aware for many years of the radio interference and problems caused by the strange objects operating in the vicinity of the Chonos islands. Josep Guijarro received a letter from a man who served five years in at a naval radio station in Puerto Montt, stating: "We were sick of these devils, who often jammed our communications with immensely powerful high-tech distorting equipment, which on occasions even produced invisible barriers surrounding all of the Taitao Peninsula and left all boats, including the Navy, bereft of communications."

Delving further into the highly complex “Friendship” situation takes us away from the original issue: are non-humans presently reaching out to a Mexican “contactee” through radio, as Prof. Cid’s report suggests? Until further information is received from Rafael Oceguera, who is currently researching and documenting the case, this question remains open.

Argentina: The "Mothership" Corroborated?

The blackout created by the alleged transit of a "mothership" over the northern Argentinean province of Salta can fairly be considered the most important UFO news story to emerge from that country this year. Corroboration for the "mothership"'s presence may have been found in a curious photograph analyzed by Jorge Luis Figueiras of the Fundación Argentina de Ovnilogia, and which we share with readers of Inexplicata.

Luis Burgos of FAO reports: "Our correspondent in the town of Comandante Luis Piedrabuena, in the province of Santa Cruz, has sent us an exceptional document showing a mothership that flew over the outskirts of that southern locality of our country. This "phantom UFO" was picked up by resident Jose Acosta as he took photos of his property, located 15 kilometers west of Piedrabuena and in the vicinity of the Santa Cruz River, at 1600 hours on November 24, 2009. The image shows a spindle-shaped object.

"According to calculations made by our analyst, Jorge Luis Figueiras, the object is at a distance of 7 kilometers and is among the typical cloud formations of the country, having an approximate altitude of 4000 meters. This gives the alleged airship a length of between 80 and 100 meters.

"What is truly significant, beyond the luminosity of its structure, is that it remained practically static between photographs 451 to 459, with a duration of 2 minutes and 29 seconds, before it "vanished" amazingly in the next two minutes!

"Conclusion: Either it sped away at a prodigious rate of speed or it became "invisible"...either way, it was no longer in the following photographs."

(Translation (c) 2009, S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Luis Burgos and Jorge Luis Figueiras (FAO) and Guillermo Gimenez, Planeta UFO)

Mexico: UFO over Tepexpan

Inexplicata Contributing Editor Ana Luisa Cid has sent us the following information as well (my apologies to her for having overlooked it!):

"A recording by Ing. Victor Gonzalez in Tepexpan (Mexico State). The witness states that the was walking along the street when he became aware of a very strange glow in the sky. He was unable to stop for a look, as he had to pick up his son from school.

"Later,he took the boy to his mother-in-law's house, as he does every day, and returned to his workship. To his surprise, the object remained in the same spot. He then notified his father to set up a telescope (Polarex 75mm).

"He made a recording through his telescope on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 14:30 hours. Victor claims that the object remained visible for an hour -- between 2 to 3 in the afternoon.

"At this site, the same witness has recorded an alleged UFO the previous week."

November 9th video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYUUF03HDy0

November 2nd video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNhv-Fm5M3s

Profra. Ana Luisa Cid
www.analuisacid.com

Mexico: UFO over Agua Prieta, Sonora

Contributing editor Ana Luisa Cid writes: "[The object in question] is a luminous one that splits in two and almost immediately reforms itself. It later vanished fromt he sky. The witness, aside from having nearly 50 hours of video, claims to be in contact with beings from Jupiter, and that they have even left messages on his radio signal."

"The case is under investigation by Dr. Rafael Oceguera, director of the Enigma 900 group. I presented the video materials on December 4th in the "La Sobremesa" program, which airs on Channel 28."

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km87lURmoZk

Ana Luisa Cid
www.analuisacid.com

Brazil: A UFO Over Bahía

Contributing Editor Ana Luisa Cid writes:

"This photo was sent to me by Eli da Conceição Santos. She tells me it was taken by a friend of hers in early October 2009 on the road to Bahía (Brazil). The witness stopped the car to take photos of the landscape, but the camera kept shutting off. Three attemtps were made, all of them unsuccessful. She resumed her journey.

"Upon returning home, she was amazed to see that a photo had in fact been taken of the landscape, displaying a yellow object in the sky.

"Everything points to the image being genuine, perhaps even a "chance" UFO, until its nature can be determined by an analysis of the original."

Many thanks to Ana Luisa for providing us with this photo!