Roundup: The 2008 UFO Wave in Argentina

The 2008 UFO Wave in Argentina
By Luis Burgos
Fundacion Argentina de Ovnilogia (FAO)
(Translated by S. Corrales, Inexplicata)


Number of Reports to Date: 64

January 1: La Plata, Buenos Aires
Reported by Juan Pablo Ruiz Villoldo in what will be the first case of the year. At 23:43 hours, he witnesses a perfect triangular formation of three vehicles, heading W-E toward Rio de la Plata. The same formation is seen shortly after from Colon (Entre Rios Province) by members of the COLOVNI group.

January 3: San Marcos Sierra (Cordoba)
Ximena and Mariano submit a photo of a strange “phantom” UFO to the FAO. It was taken on the banks of the Quilpo River at 07:30 hours with a Fuji Finepix 2.0 mpix, representing the first photographic case of the year. Photo subjected to analysis.

January 3: Calamuchita (Cordoba)
Martha Nuñez reports another UFO over Cordoba at the same time, photographed at 18:00 hours.

January 3: Vicente Lopez (Buenos Aires)
Damian Heras video records a nocturnal light (NL) at 21:59 hrs.

Early January: Victoria (Entre Rios)
The Vision OVNI group reports a considerable activity by unidentified lights, with irregular movements toward midnight. This phenomenon was seen for several consecutive days.

Early January: Chabás (Santa Fe)
A series of mysterious aerial lights were sighted, some of them photographed at night, such as the ones photographed by Dr. Javier Alzayar, reported by the Vision OVNI group.

January 7: San Lorenzo (Santa Fe)
Pablo Lasa reported that his friend Sergio Civetta saw an irregular NL, yellow-white in color, at 21:50 hours.


January 7: Jacinto Arauz (La Pampa)
Three hunters witness a white-colored NL, shifting to red and blinking, according to Guillermo G.S. Tanos (FAO collaborator in Darregueria).

January 7: Darregueira (Buenos Aires)
The same FAO collaborator and his friends see an intense white NL a few minutes before midnight for a few minutes, and displaying an elliptical backward motion.

January 8: Vicente Lopez (Buenos Aires)
Damian Heras and Cristian Soldaon videotape another irregular NL at 04:45 hours.

January 8: Capital Federal
Ufologist Asdrubal Acosta reports the presence of an NL with irregular movements at 21:49 hours over Western Buenos Aires. A similar phenomenon is detected and recorded by Taller Glaucoart.

January 9: Sierra de los Padres (Buenos Aires)
Members of Vision OVNI, who stress the continuous activity of this phenomenon in the area, capture a series of “phantom” UFOs at noon. Photos were analyzed.

January 9: Claromecó (Buenos Aires)
Beatriz Mascioli, a resident of the beach community, reports an episode she witnessed at 23:00 hours. Two luminous objects moved diagonally across the sky, some 45 degrees toward the northwest. The lower of the two, with the more intense lights, suddenly shot upward at high speed while the other continued its normal trajectory.

January 10: Santa Rosa (La Pampa)
Quique Mario (CEUFO) reports an unusual aerial phenomenon with a strange behavior, seen from various parts of the city on a stormy night. A photograph of this incident also exists.

January 11: Isidro Casanova (Buenos Aires)
Guillermo Gimenez disseminates a photo of a UFO taken during daylight hours, according to information received from MUFON in the U.S.A.

January 12: Calamuchita (Cordoba)
Martha Nuñez presents a new photo of an alleged “phantom UFO” taken at 18:30 that afternoon. Photo is being investigated.

January 13: Capilla del Monte (Cordoba)
Webcam Uritorco manages to photograph a UFO over the region at 15:05 hours.


January 13: Villaguay (Entre Rios)
According to www.rosario3.com, residents of that riverside region reported seeing “very bright and strange luminous phenomena” at night.

January 14: Capilla del Monte (Cordoba)
Gustavo Fernandez submits eyewitness accounts from local residents who witness the transit of “an orange sphere”, engaging in maneuvers between 22:00 and 23:05.

January 14: Santa Rosa (La Pampa)
Raul Chaves (CIUFOS) witnesses the flyby of an irregular nocturnal light (NL) at 22:26 hours.

January 14: Rio Cuarto (Cordoba)
The shift operator of the Rio Cuarto Airport reports the transit of a yellowish luminous body at around 22:30 hours from East to West, witnessed by dozens of locals. It unleashes a controversy over whether it was a UFO or the ISS (International Space Station).

January 15: City of Santa Fe
According to www.ufoinfo.com, a resident of this city views from his terrace the passing of three lights that formed a “perfect triangle”, traveling at high speed, until it lost itself from sight at 00:25 hours. The sighting lasted some 10/15 seconds.

January 15: Capilla del Monte (Cordoba)
Once again, Gustavo Fernandez reports UFO sightings about Uritorco at around 16:00 hours and then at 21:30.

January 15: Necochea (Buenos Aires)
Guillermo Gimenez reports the sighting of an irregular NL, white in color, at 23:30 hours.

January 16: Calafate (Santa Cruz)
While traveling with his wife, Hector De Rosa informs FAO that at 14:00 hours, in broad daylight and in the vicinity of El Calafate, they saw a motionless black object, relatively small in size. The sighting lasted several minutes.

January 16: Capital Federal
Taller Glaucoart reports the persecution of the Cosmos Rocket satellite by a luminous unconventional object at 21:21 hours.

January 16: Necochea (Buenos Aires)
Guillermo Gimenez receives a report from another witness regarding an irregular NL, blue in color, at 23:05. “Flashes” in the sky were subsequently reported.
January 17: La Plata (Buenos Aires)
Nelson Polanco (FAO La Plata) reports a slow, high altitude flyby performed by an incandescent luminous body from SW to NW, crossing the firmament at 19:00 hours.

January 20: Capital Federal
Taller Glaucoart videotapes an NL with irregular movements at 03:27 hours toward the northeast.

January 20: Cipolletti (Rio Negro)
Jorge Luis Figueiras submits a photo of a “phantom UFO” taken at 10:55 hours over the city. Material is being studied.

January 20: Ensenada (Buenos Aires)
Juan Carlos G. (retired military) informs the FAO of a sighting at 22:10 hours when he detects a light crossing over the face of the moon (in its quarter crescent phase), engages in a few maneuvers before being “absorbed” by the darkness toward the NE. The ISS did not fly overhead and the three satellites that crossed the heavens on that night on those coordinates do not coincide in their magnitude or schedules.

January 23: Lago Menendez (Chubut)
Mrs. Marta Fourcade submits a photo of a “phantom UFO” flying over the aforementioned lake at the Los Alerces National Park next to the Torrecillas Glacier at 15:30 hours. Photo analyzed.

January 24: Santa Lucia (San Juan)
A strange “fireball” fell from the sky and could be located. It weight was under 2 kilograms and was blackish in color. It is under analysis by scientists at the El Leoncito Astronomical Complex. Probable meteorite.

January 24: Villa Ventana (Buenos Aires)
Daniel Valverdi (Vision OVNI) reports a photograph that appeared in the “Noticias de Tornquist” newspaper. While a fire raged through the area, a journalist took a “chance” photo of a strange object flying over the area during daylight hours. Photo analyzed.

January 27: Neuquén (capital city)
Channel 7 on Neuquén transmits the recording made by a resident of the Bouquet Roldan district showing a luminous object, taken with a cellphone. Object moves horizontally from left to right at 21:15 hours.
January 27: Villa Gessell (Buenos Aires)
Alejandro Inza reports a sighting of two luminous aerial objects, opaque and orange in color, spinning at a given altitude before joining and vanishing abruptly.

January 29: San Miguel del Monte (Buenos Aires)
Nelson R. Polanco (FAO La Plata), his sister Rosana Rocha and a mutual friend, Nora, had a surprising experience involving luminous objects over Laguna del Monte on the nights of Jan. 29 and 30. Strange shapes seen on the water, luminous flashes and even a small sphere that hurled itself at Rosana were among the events recorded.

January 31: Rio Cuarto (Cordoba)
The COR group reports the appearance of two strange footprints at the DGI campsite. A semi-circle covered by a sort of ash and a “horseshoe” caused surprise among the witnesses. Case is under investigation.

Month of January: Santa Rosa (La Pampa)
A collaborator of CIUFOS (Mariano) takes landscape photos on various days and times. Some of these images display strange aerial and solid objects not seen by the author of the images. These were taken during daylight hours.

Month of January: Lago Lolog (Neuquen)
According to a submission received by FAO, young Claudio Burgos of San Martin de los Andes witnessed as UFO emerging from under Lago Lolog, located to the north of this city in Patagonia. Case under investigation.

February 1: San Miguel de Tucuman
Juan Valenzuela submits a curious photo to FAO. It was taken at 18:30 in the vicinity of Cerro San Javier, only a few kilometers from the city, while he was photographing various landscapes. One of the images show what has become known as a “phantom UFO”. This material was also submitted to UFO researcher Carlos Ferguson. Photo analyzed.

February1: Necochea (Buenos Aires)
Guillermo Gimenez reports a new sighting in that beachfront community. A local resident witnesses the transit of a large object from N to S at 22:00 hours. It was white in color, spherical in color, and vanished suddenly after going a certain distance.

February 1: Capital Federal
At the same time as the Necochea case, at 22:00 hours, Taller Glaucoart recorded a high intensity nocturnal light (NL) that remained static for 4 minute over Buenos Aires.

February 2: Santa Rosa (La Pampa)
CIUFOS looks into some strange marks that appeared “from one day to another” located to the south of the city on a property belonging to Mrs. Margarita C. These marks show a yellow-golden coloring that stand out against the grass in the back yard.

February 2; Parana (Entre Rios)
According to Gustavo Fernandez (AFR), many residents of the San Agustin district phoned the FM Capital station to report a luminous body flying at high altitude with flashes of lights and colors that ranged from light blue to gold and headed northeast at 22:10 hours.

February 3: La Plata (Buenos Aires)
Andres Reynoso and his parents reported a singular observation at 21:10 hours over the La Lona district. Two black objects, rotating on their own axii, traveled from W to E while a third entered the scene. All three continued on that trajectory. As this happened, an airliner performed a strange “swerve” maneuver or course correction as the artifacts went by.

February 3: Tandil (Buenos Aires)
According to Radio Tandil and other local media, several residents reported the collision of a fireball at 04:00 hours behind Cerro Las Animas as a large forest fire “coincidentally” took place. Whether it is a UFO, satellite debris or a meteorite, “it has to be there”. Case under investigation.

February 10: La Banda (Santiago del Estero)
According to “Noticiero 7” from Santiago del Estero and Diario Panorama. Young Maria de los Angeles Gomez photographed an unidentified object with her cellphone during the afternoon, after taking a picture of a rainbow forming over La Banda. Photo analyzed. It is a typical case of “phantom UFO”.

February 10: City of Santiago del Estero
According to www.diariopanorama.com, professional photographer Roly Albarracin stopped the car while traveling with his family toward the Los Quiroga dam to photograph the rainbow forming in the sky between 15:00 and 15:30 hours. Upon looking at the photo in detail, he detected three strange objects that were unseen when the photo was first taken. Photo analyzed.

February 10; El Dean (Santiago del Estero)
The same source as in the preceding case indicates that at 19:30 hours, young Oscar Ruiz managed to record the transit of a UFO on his cell phone. He did not see it at first, but saw it late when looking at the photos taken of a rainbow forming at the site.

February 16: Chascomus (Buenos Aires)
During a “nocturnal skywatch” by the FAO on the edge of the local lagoon, photographer Fernando Mengui managed to capture images of two “phantom UFOs” at 21:29 hours and 23:13 hours, respectively, with his Nikon Digital D80 . The first image shows an opaque, spindle-shaped object flying at low altitude over the coastal road and the second – very bright and sky blue in color – was captured twice during its flyby. Photos analyzed.

February 17:Gualeguaychu (Entre Rios)
Silvia Simondini of Vision OVNI sends a spectacular photo of two “phantom UFOs” to FAO, taken by Elias Nieto in the vicinity of the Uruguay River shoreline at 11:50. The image, after analysis, is one of the sharpest UFO photographs taken in recent times.

Mid-February: Famantina (La Rioja)
According to Radio Phoenix in that Province, a strange luminous silhouette floating at night was seen by various residents. This outline, associated to the ghost of a dead priest, has an humanoid shape and makes movements. Case under study.

February 20: Macachin (La Pampa)
Fabian Romano of CEUFO was at the local air club waiting for the fog to clear before taking off in his small plane. At 06:47 hours, a luminous, powerful object appears over the Neuquen – Buenos Aires road flying at high speed. Seconds later, another similar object follows the same trajectory and practically accompanies the first one.

February 23: Frias (Sgo. del Estero)
Journalist Miryam Muñoz presents FAO with a strange daytime photo of a dark object, not seen visually by the witness, a local workman. The artifact is at low altitude and close to high voltage towers. Photo under study.

February 23: Bariloche (Rio Negro)
Andres, a reader of the Rio Negro newspaper, wrote the newspaper saying that around 23:00 hours he had seen from on top of a tower, a very bright, static, orange colored object “like a flame in the sky” which remained visible for 15 minutes before vanishing.

February 24: Capital Federal
Researcher Carlos Turus submitted a sighting that occurred at 22:50 hours to Taller Glaucoart. A nocturnal light (NL) flying irregularly from E – W over northern Buenos Aires was seen by several eyewitnesses.

February 25: Capital Federal
Taller Glaucoart videotapes an NL toward the N-NE, leaving bright flashes of light in its wake.

February 25: Mina Clavero (Cordoba)
Mr. Adrian of Cordoba informed Taller Glaucoart of the presence of a totally irregular NL with chromatic variations ranging from red to orange, yellow to white, for 2 hours over that part of Cordoba, from midnight on the 25th to the early hours of the 26th.

February 27: Macachin (La Pampa)
Once again, Fabian Romano of CEUFO in Macachin manages to photograph a “phantom UFO” – cigar-shaped – as a storm front approached the area in the afternoon. Photo analyzed.

February 29: Calamuchita (Cordoba)
Martha Nuñez reports from Calamuchita that another “phantom UFO” has been perceived at 16:57 hours. The photos show an object in the distance, white in color but with a solid core that stands out from the contour. According to specialist Jorge Luis Figueiras, there is no manipulation whatsoever or any confusion with clouds.

March 2: Balcarce (Buenos Aires)
While a helicopter belonging to the Buenos Aires police flew overhead, Luis Arabia took five photos of the aircraft. Upon checking them on his PC, he notices that a strange flying object “appears” in the vicinity of the official vehicle. According to Arabia, who submitted his photos to Mar del Plata’s “La Capital”, it is remarkable that the object appeared in different positions as he took the photos. Photo analyzed.

Humanoid Isomorphism in the Santa Ana Case (1986) with Mythical Beings in the Creole Culture of the Argentinean Littoral

Humanoid Isomorphism in the Santa Ana Case (1986) with Mythical Beings in the Creole Culture of the Argentinean Littoral
By Andres Salvador

Facts of the Santana Case. A close encounter of the third kind = CE-3 (Hynek, 1979:37-38) took place on Monday, 17 March 1986, in the vicinity of the locality of Santa Ana in the Province of Corrientes (Argentina), witnessed by Mr. Rito Melgarejo, 42 years old at the time. The case was investigated by journalist Francisco Villagrán (1) who gathered the following eyewitness account:
“In fact, I was returning home after playing cards with some buddies at around 2 in the morning on Monday the 17th, after much rainfall. I saw a very powerful light that illuminated me completely, so much so that I could see my shadow projected onto the ground.

It was a highly luminous object, which practically came over me and stopped over the ground at a distance of 10 meters more or less. It was cold, but at that time I forgot about everything. Then I saw two little beings, about the height of a 6 or 7 year-old child, who exited quickly from the device. One of them gestured at me and spoke to me in a language I found incomprehensible. It wasn’t Spanish. He spoke very quickly. He made some hand gestures at me in a circular motion, but I told him that I understood nothing, and didn’t want to know anything. I turned around and tried to return to my house as quickly as possible. It seems these beings returned to their device and took off, because when I turned to look again, they were no longer there, and neither was their craft, which vanished quickly into the sky until it became very small. I didn’t look very long because I was somewhat afraid of being taken away and not brought back. They wore a sort of close-fitting black uniform and they were like us, human beings, only tiny. I figure that they were about a meter to one meter ten, more or less. They landed suddenly in the water, because it had rained a lot. I wandered around the countryside for a few hours, lost, because I became disoriented and couldn’t figure out how to get back. It left me with a very strong headache that still hasn’t cleared up. If it goes on, I’m going to have to see a doctor to cure me.” (Villagrán, 1986d: 32-33).

In order to establish the isomorphism between the humanoids in the Santa Ana case and the mythical beings of the culture that inform the societal conceptions of the place in which the incident occurred(2), and its supposed symbolic universe, we must previously examine the mythology of the Mbyá-Guaraní mythology as well as the creole culture of the Argentinean littoral itself.
To this end, we avail ourselves of the catalogue presented by Adolfo Colombres (2008), who has recorded for these cultures a total of eighty-nine mythical creatures, focusing our analysis on their phenomenological characteristics: Morphology (height), behavior (time), environment (rural) and cultural (clothing)3, with four of them corresponding to creole culture: Negros del Agua, Pombero, Y Porá and Yasi Yateré.

The isomorphism between the humanoids in the Santa Ana case (hereinafter HSA)4 and the indicated mythic figures (hereinafter MF), shall be established pursuant to one of the 3-way classificatory divisions of the symbol proposed by Charles S. Pierce and as done by Martha Blache (1982:44):

1. Iconic Level: The way in which the mythic figure is perceived with the senses. HAS: humanoids are described as “like us, human beings, only tiny”, “small beings, with the height of a 6 or 7 year-old child”, “I figure they had a height between one meter and one meter ten, more or less”, “they had short black hair and cut like colimbas (colimbas)”. MF: Negros del Agua are called by “Negritos del Agua” due to their size, and are “completely black and bald” (Colombres, 2009:72). The Pombero is described as “petiso” (short) or as “a brawny dwarf” and “black” (Colombres, 2009: 119). The Y-Porá “nearly always assumes the shape of a black person” (Colombres, 2009:187) and the Yasi-Yateré appears as a “dwarf” (Colombres, 2009:102).

2. Indicative Level: The way in which their actions are expressed. HSA: “They landed suddenly in the water”, “One of them gestured at me and spoke to me in a language I found incomprehensible. It wasn’t Spanish. He spoke very quickly. He made some hand gestures at me in a circular motion, but I told him that I understood nothing, and didn’t want to know anything. I turned around and tried to return to my house as quickly as possible.”6 Negros del Agua are “often seen emerging from a lagoon” (Colombres, 2009: 72) and the Y-Porá “appears in rivers, streams and lagoons” (Colombres, 2009: 187). The Yasi-Yateré may operate “in a stream” (Colombres, 2009: 102) and it is said to speak (Colombres, 2009:104).

3. Symbolic Level: The way it is evaluated by the reporter. HSA: “I didn’t look very long because I was somewhat afraid of being taken away and not brought back.” MF: Overall, the mythic figures examined arouse fear and are associated with the concept of abduction. Negros del Agua “drown children or boatmen, by upturning their canoes” (Colombres, 2009: 72). If the Pombero comes across children “it bears them away to abandon them far from their homes” or “sucks their blood until it kills them, and then hangs them from a tree.” (Colombres, 2009: 110). The Y-Porá “takes away children…and also stalks maidens, kidnapping them to sate its sexual urges.” (Colombres, 2009:187). The Yasi-Yateré abducts children or “drowns them in a stream”, “kidnaps girls…to sate its sexual appetites.” (Colombres, 2009:102).

The Night and the Weather. It is interesting to deal with the temporal context, since the HSA took place at night and “around 2 o’clock in the morning” and the darkness is a factor that coadjuvates the perception of the examined MF’s (Blache, 1982:52). Negros del Agua overturn canoes on “moonlit nights” (Colombres, 2009:72). The Pombero “may kidnap children at night” (Colombres, 2009: 119) and “if he is mentioned at night, it is necessary to do so in a low voice to avoid giving him offense.” (Colombres, 2009: 120). “It is necessary…to provide him offerings at night.” (Ambrosetti, 1947:52). The Yasi-Yateré “often comes out at night, particularly nights of full moon.” (Colombres, 2009:102). According to the witness “a lot of rain had fallen; they landed suddenly in the water, because it had rained a lot.” Now then, a coadjuvant factor in perceiving the Pombero is “an unstable weather condition or a sudden change in the weather.” (Blache, 1982:52).
After-Effects of the Encounter. The witness states that after the encounter “I wandered around the countryside for a few hours, lost, because I became disoriented and couldn’t figure out how to get back. It left me with a very strong headache that still hasn’t cleared up.” For this reason it is said that children captured by the Pombero are often abandoned “far from their homes…stunned.” (Colombres, 2009: 119). Let us note that the notion of misplacement is associated, according to Juan B. Ambrosetti, with the Petey, a name given to an MF identified with the Caá-Porá (Ambrosetti, 1947: 47-48).

Conclusion. While the HSA presents distinctive notes (the witness claims to have seen “a highly luminous object” = “device”= “craft”) regarding the isomorphism between humanoids and mythic figures, at least four recurrent themes are evident in mythology of the creole culture of the Argentinean littoral: 1) Anthropomorphic beings (“they were like us, human beings”); 2) low stature (“about one meter to one meter ten, more or less”); 3) the color black (“black uniform”) and 4), they inspire fear (“I was somewhat afraid”).

Bibliography

Ambrosetti, Juan. B, 1947:
Supersticiones y Leyendas.
Buenos Aires, ed. Pingüino-Lautaro, 1947.
Ballester Olmos, Vicente J. and Fernández Peris, Juan A. 1987:
Enciclopedia de los encuentros cercanos con OVNIS.
Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona), ed. Plaza & Janes, 1987.
Blache, Martha 1982:
Estructuras del miedo.
Buenos Aires, ed. Plus Ultra, 1982.
Colombres, Adolfo 2008:
Seres mitológicos argentinos.
Buenos Aires, ed. Colihue, 2008.
Colombres, Adolfo 2009:
Seres sobrenaturales de la cultura popular argentina.
Buenos Aires, ed. del Sol, 2009.
Durrant, Henry 1978:
Humanoides extraterrestres.
Buenos Aires, ed. Javier Vergara, trad. cast. de Ariel Bignami, 1978
Hynek, J. Allen 1979:
El informe Hynek.
Buenos Aires, ed. Javier Vergara, trad. cast. de Ariel Bignami, 1979.
Meichtry, Norma 1987:
Corrientes: el paisaje y el hombre.
in Todo es Historia, Capitulo 6, Buenos Aires, febrero de 1987.
Meli, Alfredo 1986:
“Me parecieron forasteros y ahí nomás pelé mi facón”.
in Libre Al Fin, [ed. Perfil, Buenos Aires] Año 3, Nº 116, 1-4-[19]86 pp. 52-55.
Villagrán, Francisco 1986a:
Encuentro del Tercer Tipo en Santa Ana.
in El Litoral, Corrientes, lunes 24 de marzo de 1986, p.13.
Villagrán, Francisco 1986b:
Análisis y conclusiones de un “encuentro del tercer tipo”.
in El Litoral, Corrientes, martes 25 de marzo de 1986, p.4.
Villagrán, Francisco 1986c:
“Don Rito estuvo con los ET”.
in Libre Al Fin, [ed. Perfil, Buenos Aires] Año 3, Nº 116, 1-4-[19]86, p. 54.
Villagrán, Francisco 1986d:
Descenso y contacto en Santa Ana (Corrientes).
in Cuarta Dimensión, nº 142, Julio 1986, pp. 32-33.

1 Villagrán published a series of articles on the subject in the El Litoral de Corrientes newspaper (Villagran, 1986 and 1986b) and in the specialized publication Cuarta Dimension) (Villagrán, 1986d),as well as an article in the Libre Al Fin magazine, accompanying an article by Alfredo Meli (Villagrán, 1986c).

2 The case occurred in the vicinity of Santa Ana de los Guácaras or Huácaras or Santa Ana, located in the department of San Cosme, some 20 kilometers of the capital of Corrientes, in order that the background of the CE-3 falls within the scenic perspective of the physical-geographic unit known as “the capital triangle” (Meichtry, 1987) and with the so-called “initial frontier of Corrientes expansion (16th century) (Meicthry, 1987: 4 and 6), having originally been a reservation for non-native Indians. At the time of the incident, the Department of San Cosme was in a context of decreasing population growth (Meicthry, 1987: 16-17), with a density of 12.0 to 15.9 inhabitants per sq.km (1980).

3 In this regard we followed the variables indicated y Ballester Olmos and Fernandez Peris (1987:20-22) for the examination of a case.

4 We follow the eyewitness’s report as collected by Villagran in 1986d, unless indicated to the contrary.

5For illustrative purposes, we note that a French humanoid encounter case reported by Henry Durrant, located in Cussac (Cantal) on 22 August 1967 (10:30 hours, local time) in which “the presence of small humanoids and a machine” are described (Durrant, 1978:34), these are presented in the following terms: “While the height of the unknown figures was between 1 meter and 1.20, our two witnesses understood that they were not facing children like themselves, but rather what they later termed “little black men (…) . Their bodies seemed to be covered by black clothing, close-fitting, like that of a diver.” (Durrant, 1978:36).

6 With regard to humanoid speech, see “Communication” in Durrant, 1978: 186-191, particularly in cases in which the word “uranium” [term employed by Durrant without any reference to a specific origin (p.12)] was completely unintelligible to the percipient on p.188.

[Translation © 2013, Scott Corrales, IHU, with thanks to Andrés Salvador (CEFORA) and Angel Carretero Olmedo, Andalucia Misteriosa]

Argentina: The El Macón UFO and the Abominable Snowmen of La Puna

The Mystery of the El Macon UFO and the Abominable Men of La Puna
By Fabio Picasso
(Translated by Scott Corrales (c) 2010)

This series of events constitutes one of the darkest and examined pages of Argentinean ufology. It is not my intention to clarify these points. However, as a kick-off point for a subsequent compilation, I have considered it opportune to expand on the events that occurred in those inhospitable regions of Salta in detail and in chronological order. To do this, I have employed the original articles appearing in the La Razon newspaper and some less relevant sources. Everything apparently began in 1955 when “from Tolar Grande, a community close to the El Macon mountain, a tremendous commotion was seen to occur on one of the slopes, as though an aerolith had impacted against it. This event was not investigated and there were those who said that the object that crashed against El Macon was an airship of unusual configuration, later specifying that it was cigar-shaped (1). One year later, an explorer tried to research these events and the mountain was climbed yet again in 1957: the first case involved a geologist and the second was for presumably archaeological purposes. It is curious to note that this case may have been the conclusion of a hitherto unknown wave that in a way continued the 1954 flap, which extended into the first months of 1955. But as I have said, the alleged accident at El Macon occurred at an unspecified date in 1955, and would have almost certainly been forgotten had it not been for the UFOs photographed in the vicinity of Salar de Arizaro. “According to a group of citizens from Salar de Arizaro, Department of Los Andes, strange objects were seen to cross the skies at high on the 15th of the month.

One of the residents, the foreman of a National Highway Service squad, stated that they had seen such strange bodies in the sky before, but never like today. He added that they flew low enough to allow their shapes to be clearly seen, despite their prodigious speed. He added that members of his squad were stunned to see elongated, silvery structures, cigar-shaped, appear in a NE to SW direction, making quick changes in trajectory. In a matter of seconds, the objects were on the far side of the salt desert. They made no noise whatsoever as they traveled and each one of them expelled a wake of white smoke that practically covered the skies in that location. The devices continued toward their Arita Mine before passing over the Achibarca Mountains and then to the Antofalla Volcano.” (2)

Journalistic sources would experience a silence of nearly one month, as the photographs were apparently kept secret, since it was said that the National Gendarmerie had intervened in the case. This circumstance arises from the article I now transcribe: “Despite officialdom’s silence regarding the appearance of the flying cigars in the region known as Salar de Arizaro, it can affirm that the National Gendarmerie has been investigating the case since last March 15th (April, n.a), the date of the strange incident which has stirred public opinion throughout the country. It can also be ascertained that photos obtained of the flying saucers by the National Highways staff in the overflown region are now in the possession of the same official agency. Readers will recall that the strange objects crossed space at high speed, appearing to stand still at a given moment, which was employed to take photographs. Casual observers of the unknown travelers determined that they were cigar-shaped and that their movement was absolutely silent, thus discarding the possibility that they were jet aircraft from Chile or Bolivia. Moreover, known jet aircraft do not have a great autonomy of flight, nor are there any bases near the Salar de Arizaro.” (3)

Another month went by in silence until the National Gendarmerie finally issued, in early June 1956, a communiqué trying to explain the events. “Expanding on what was made known before, it has been confirmed that on April 13, personnel of the Tolar Grande Section of the National Gendarmerie, attached to the San Antonio de los Cobres barracks in Salta Province, a strange cigar-shaped flying object, 300 meters long, which gave off silver flashes, giving the impression of being made of aluminum, progressed at high speed over the Salar de Arizaro in a NW direction toward Socompa, leaving a white wake in its path. Given the object’s high speed, its characteristics could not be specified. With regard to the photograph, the same report states that it was taken by Mr. Maximo Chilo, a worker with National Highways, who was in the vicinity and managed to photograph the flying body.” (4)

As a curious note, a gigantic “cloud-cigar” – to use the terminology adopted by Aime Michel – appeared in the late afternoon in the center of Buenos Aires on June 29th, seen by many people (5). Oddly enough, on July 10th, La Razon published statements by the photographer who, paradoxically, wanted to remain anonymous, when the Gendarmerie report identified him a month earlier. It is impossible to know if it was the same person or if there were two photographers. In any event, it is interesting to note these statements: “...Now there is also debate over the strange object that flew over Salar de Arizaro on April 15th on the Salar de Arizaro plateau. In recent days, two men –Esteban Bossy and Diego Alfonso – stated that these cigars or flying objects were no more than jet engines that the army flies between Quito and Chile over this region. But a response to this statement did not take long to emerge. A witness and author of the photos of the object published in Buenos Aires with the authorization of the National Gendarmerie reiterates that we are in the presence of foreign objects – perhaps foreign to the planet itself – whose “atomic irradiation” produced a precipitation of the sensitive emulsion of the photo film. Supporting this theory, the reporter notes the fact that three of the instant film rolls taken of the objects were completely or partly clouded, despite the proper shutter speed and camera usage. According to the witness, who requests anonymity, these were not jet aircraft nor any other aircraft of conventional design known by civil or military aeronautical authorities in the world. These were strange objects. He added: “The machines or objects observed, aside from their size, did not have any wings or rudders. Their structure – smooth and spindle-shaped – made them look like huge, extraordinarily maneuverable blimps, making sharp and steep turns at high speed. Finally, the witness, who supports statements made by many others from the National Highway Service and the Gendarmerie itself, says that the train of smoke left in their wake surpassed in volume the possible condensation of gases that could be expelled from any jet’s engines.” (6)

Everything seemed to end with these statements and I believe that very little may have emerged from those desert regions, had it not been for a geologist named Spitch, who added a further condiment to the area’s altered tranquility. “Now comes the most sensation, if it were possible. The Abominable Snowman, whose exploits caused us to smile, has sobered the people of Salta. This is to be expected. Yeti, the strange Himalayan being, has appeared at Nevado El Macon, in La Puna. This is the story that is spreading from mouth to mouth. Only days ago, engineer Claudio Level Spitch, an unquestionable authority in radioactive minerals, returned from El Macón after carrying out a mission involving his specialization. But his findings have surpassed all expectations, since aside from determining the existence the type of mineral sought, he has found human footprints at an elevation in excess of 5700 meters. But aside from this, the prints are over 40 centimeters long and Engineer Sptich himself, making statements to the El Tribuno de Salta newspaper, compared the strange similarity of his find with those of the Abominable Snowman in legendary Tibet. The footprints found at the summit of majestic El Macón exceed all human possibilities, said Spitch.” (7)

It should be noted that national newspapers had been publishing, on a rather regular basis, stories about the Yeti and other hairy Asian creatures, including those of Malaysia. It will suffice to scan the pages of La Razón between 1951 and 1956, from which I have gathered at least 13 articles alluding to Wild Men or yetis. (8) Two days after some additional details on Spitch’s remarks appeared in the press.

“After the first sensational statements made by mining engineer Claudio Spitch about the presence of strange beings in the vicinity of El Macón, which stands 6600 meters over the wilderness of La Puna de Atacama, other stories have been received to confirm the news provided by the aforementioned technical minor. In fact, official sources have ascertained the existence of footprints with human characteristics, but of gigantic proportions, in the frozen sands of El Macón as well as in its ice fields. These footprints, according to these sources, were found with greater clarity in two occasions. The first was around a year ago, when from Tolar Grande, a community near El Macón, a colossal explosion was witnessed. The second in which the footprints that have caused concern among the population were reported is now, that is to say, a few weeks after having noticed the strange manifestation of aerial artifacts in the skies of Salar de Arizaro, described in some cases as “flying cigars” with scattered photo evidence obtained. Popular imagination, growing by leaps and bounds, is weaving the possibility that we are facing sensational events that indicate the landing of extraterrestrial beings in this part of the planet. Mention is made of the coincidence of similar reports in the so-called Rooftop of the World, the Himalayas, where the Yeti or Abominable Snowman has disturbed laymen and scientists alike. These otherworldly beings would seem to chose the highest elevations, and perhaps the coldest climates, as best suited to conduct their first incursions to our planet. Sidereal space, unexplored by humans, is the best-suited means for enabling all manner of navigation (sic) and La Puna de Atacama is too, given the enormous surface extension of its frozen reaches, making it the best place for landing spacecraft of unheard-of sizes. It should be remembered that casual observers of the objects crossing the skies of Salr de Arizaro on April 14th stated that these could have easily been 300 meters long. Personnel from the Gendarmerie became involved immediately, ordering the confiscation of the photos taken. Subsequently, copies of the photos taken were distributed to metropolitan papers, documenting the transit of the strange objects.” (9)

Up to here, the elements leaned toward the presence of strange beings. But beyond the footprints, no one had really seen these creatures. However, a muleteer ran into the beast. “Ernesto Sanitolay, 35, a muleteer, told authorities of the police station at Quebrada de Agua de Chuya – hesitantly and with clear signs of agitation – that while leading cattle through a gorge, he was startled by a strange creature covered in dense fur, wailing as it tried to spook his animals. After the initial confusion, the muleteer was able to see that the being was somewhat larger than a monkey, covered in frosted hair and very agile, capable of eluding the shots fired by a shotgun. The police, certain of the story’s authenticity, has commenced the pertinent investigation.” (10)

The same newspaper would subsequently publish more details on the encounter, although confusing the witnesses name and age. “With the arrival of muleteer Ciriaco Taritolay (sic) in Chicoana, who lived through the harrowing experience of seeing the Yeti or Abominable Snowman, new details on the unique event are becoming known. On July 23rd, while heading toward this community at the entrance of Quebrada de Agua Chuya, he was taken by surprise by a supernatural apparition that it considered completely real and not a hallucination. The apparition was a gigantic creature, seemingly covered in frosted hair. The area is covered in snow and snow-capped mountains, explained the muleteer. This being, whose feet, as I was able to calculate, were greater than 45 centimeters long, traveled before me by leaps and bounds and with startling agility. It shape was more human than simian. Having overcome my initial surprise and fear, and seeing that the creature was trying to flee rather than approach, I chased with my shotgun, but not before it vanished into the hillside.” This is the story told by the witness, a native of Quebrada de Esocipe, currently 65 years old (sic) and who knows the mountain ranges and snow-capped mountains of Chañí very well. The story by the Chicoana muleteer confirms earlier information about prints of a large creature found in the mountains of La Puna, and which were widely reported in the national press.” (11)

On the next day, we found new information provided by La Razon’s correspondent in Tolar Grande, a correspondent probably attached to Diario El Tribuno, whose report was transcribed without citing sources. “A correspondent returning to Salta states that he is in a position to supply numerous details about the strange creature that would have appeared in El Macón. After a visit to Tolar Grande, a rail station near the place where the events occurred, there are new stories and details that confirm the adventures of Polish mining technician C.L. Spitch, and later by the Chicoana muleteer. According the new sources, humble residents of La Puna, for some 3 years now, since the strange collision against El Macón, attributed to an aerolith at the time, there have been statements suggesting the presence of one or several strange beings in the snow-capped mountains of la Puna. One source, requesting anonymity, explained that on several occasions it has been able to hear powerful, resonant screams clearly at twilight, and particularly as the streams begin to frost over in the early hours of the evening. Furthermore – also attested by several persons – mountain birds, such as condors and Puna eagles, have been found dead and torn to shreds, with their nests ransacked. Added to these fantastic accounts is that in all cases, large footprints have been found next to the destroyed nests. Given their characteristics, the prints have not been associated with bear prints, animals initially believed responsible. (Keep in mind that the only known bear in the Andes is the so called spectacled bear or Tremarctus Ornatus, which lives at elevations far lower than those of the Puna). All agree that these reports suggest the presence of the infamous Abominable Snowman from far-off Tibet, which has been noted for some time but has been kept confidential due to a fear of mockery. Now, people are encouraged to speak after Spitch’s statements, who mentioned the existence of traces of unknown creatures at the end of one of his customary excursions through the Puna, searching for radioactive minerals. Regarding the collision against Cerro El Macon 3 years ago (keep in mind that other reports placed it in 1955), new details have also been gleaned. While at the time the loud report was attributed to the collision of an aerolith against the mountain, local residents now claim that it was a strange object of tremendous size, which broke up when it rammed the mountain, with unknown materials being subsequently found in the area. It is correct to suppose that the appearance of possible supernatural creatures in La Puna is the talk of the day not only in this city, but in the rest of the province.” (12)

Nothing further appeared in the press until November, when a brief report mentioned the activities of an expedition made to the Puna. “A recent expedition by the Club Andino del Norte and the Centro de Estudios Libres of the School of Natural Sciences has made interesting discoveries that would determine the existence of strange animals in the frozen regions of the Puna de Atacama. The expedition occurred in the region of the Salar de Arizaro to the north, trying to locate means of accessing the Nevado de Aracar, Guanaqueros, El Macon and Incahuasi mountains, and coming within 3 kilometers of the Chilean border. Upon returning, members of the expedition turned over the remains of animals having curious characteristics to the School. Among them is a goat with strange horn formations, half-eaten by foxes, which are numerous in the area. These remains consist of hide, head and extremities. Another animal found, and whose species remains undetermined, is a sort of lizard measuring 70 centimeters long and, with a 40 cm. body and 30 cm. tail, powerful extremities and a head resembling that of a toad. The head has a formation similar to a chicken’s breast. This specimen is completely desiccated by the cold and salinity of the Puna.” (13)

Shortly a after, another expedition went to those inhospitable regions, showing an unusual interest, possibly by the event developed in these pages. “Upon returning from an expedition that managed to climb El Macón for the first time ever, Dr. Jose Cerato of the city of Cordoba has made statements to the press. Through the expedition, he has said, it was possible to collect information regarding the presence of strange aerial artifacts flying over the frozen reaches of the Puna – continuously and since 1955. At the top of the mountain, says the scholar, the existence of ancient indigenous structures was ascertained, as well as curious traces similar to what would be produced by the high speed descent of a sufficiently heavy object. The structures are a timbered dome, suggesting an Incan lookout point. Moreover, numerous people consulted along the rout agree in having seen circular and spindle-shaped objects flying at high speed on repeated occasions, far different from aeroliths or asteroid fragments.” (14)

The final chapter of this extraordinary saga occurred in 1957, and consisted in a new discovery of foot prints and hair samples. “Muleteers reaching Chicoana from the NW end of the Argentinean-Bolivian border have told strange stories about the presence of odd creatures in the wilderness of La Puna. Thoroughly knowledgeable about these regions, known for their intense cold and nearly-constant strong winds, the muleteers, Tránsito Corregidor among them, agree that some strange creature or animal is living in the area, as they have seen imprints resembling the footsteps of a giant man. Furthermore, among the brambles and bushes of the area, they found hairs whose characteristics do not match those of the animals that customarily occupy the rough and inhospitable country. There have been those who say that at night, when the cold and wind are at their harshest, they can hear human wails and screams that can cause the bravest man to quake. The new stories by the muleteers have resurrected the belief among many locals that the Puna de Atacama is inhabited by a “creole” version, or better yet, a kolla version, of the Abominable Snowman, known to the natives as Ukumar Zupai or Koquena, a figure of native mythology.” (15)

This brings to a close the extensive chronicle of the mysterious apparitions in La Puna between 1955-1957. Unfortunately, I have not yet had access to regional sources and for this reason, this project endeavors to be an approximation to a much more exhaustive study. In any event, all of these references have been gathered into a single work for the first time, and despite their possibly tedious reading, given the repetition of events and the confused writing style of the correspondents, I thought to keep the text as written.

The episodes in La Puna were continued by events in Chile (1958) which aroused similar interest and whose characteristics were strikingly similar, as I could determine through the excellent material provided by Chilean researcher Liliana Núñez Orellana. Later, in 1960, we had new apparitions of hairy humanoids in the northeastern area of Salta, specifically in the forests of Yariguarenda, cases that will appear in a new article – Fabio Picasso, 1999-2002.

[Fabio Picasso is the director of Archivos Forteanos Latinoamericanos (AFLA) and a contributor to the defunct STRANGE Magazine.]

SOURCES:
[1] La Razón(Buenos Aires) 23 July 1956
[2] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 18 April 1956
[3]
[4] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 4 June 1956,pg.6
[5] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 30 June 1956.
[6] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 10 July1956.
[7] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 21 July 1956.
[8] Megatac Database 2001, Author’s file
[9] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 23 July 1956
[10] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 27 July 1956.
[11] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 30 July 1956.
[12] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 1 August 1956.
[13] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 2 November1956.
[14] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 2 Noember1957
[15] La Razón (Buenos Aires) 24 April 1957. Source: OVNI

Argentina: Mysterious Events in Western Buenos Aires

Source: Diario Popular
Date: 15 July 2012

Argentina: Mysterious Events in Western Buenos Aires
By Edición Impresa

Lights streaking swiftly across the sky, strange flying objects that draw the attention of local residents at different times of day, remarks from other residents claiming abductions by intelligences from other worlds and even a little girl who states that small, big-eyed children come to get her to play with a person she identifies as Jesus – these are some of the enigmatic circumstances that can be found in the so-called “Western Corridor” of Greater Buenos Aires and, which according to one researcher, constitute a glimpse into a mysterious and undefined situation.

Fabián Torti, a member of the Grupo Tecnico de Asistencia Psicológica OVNI (GRU.TAP – Technical Group for Psychological UFO Assistance), a support team for UFO research that provides a psychological and sociological focus for the events reported, told MAS ALLA DEL MISTERIO that the succession of events recorded in a vast area of Western Greater Buenos Aires are a sign that “something is going on.”

Torti pointed out that he is in no position to specify exactly “what” is going on, but noted it was evident that “many strange situations are being recorded, and not only in the Western Corridor, particularly Castelar, Ituzaingó and Moreno, but I would even go as far as to include other points within the Province of Buenos Aires.”

From his perspective, the not yet fully explained explosion of 26 September 2011 in Montegrande, attributed to a pizza oven, “was really the hinge”, according to Torti, in a proliferation of manifestations to which we can find flesh and blood witnesses, who in some cases have not yet recovered from the initial impression.

GRU.TAP, he explains, assists with research conducted by other groups in the area, such as Nicala and Aurora, “but we study the person, not the object” meaning that what is placed under their magnifying glass are the eyewitness accounts of those who saw or experienced a strange situation.

While acknowledging that his original standpoint was an incredulous one, when these phenomena started becoming known, the various episodes recorded, the eyewitness accounts collected and even sightings that the researcher and members of his group have had, has led him to conclude: “these events evidently contain a logic that GRU.TAP, at least, has not been able to determine.”

However, studies on the testimony of eyewitnesses and direct experiencers of these manifestations enabled him to get in touch with a young mother who lives in the area, and whose identity he keeps confidential, who claims being an abductee. “When you speak to her, you realize she provides details that that cannot be invented,” says Torti, such as when she noted that the intelligences taking her “did not stand on the floor, but were suspended over the surface, and that she saw a human being with wires connected between his head and a monitor that displayed his thoughts.”

“There are things that cannot be made up, because common perception always bears a relationship to known events. When something different or unusual is contributed, that’s when the scenario acquires another characteristic.”

What the anonymous resident of the Western Region did say regarding her abduction – and she is known not to be the only person mentioning such an experiences – what her little five-year-old daughter has to say is no less significant. With childish innocence, she says that “small, big-eyed kids come to get her, and take her to play with Jesus,” in her own words.

Beyond these mysterious episodes contributed by the young mother and her daughter, members of GRU.TAP never imagined that while analyzing sightings from the psychological profile of the witnesses, they too would become subjects in their own research.

“One of our members photographed strange objects in the sky, and in my particular case, whenever I leave home early on a Saturday morning I see a round object in the sky. It’s a matter of standing around looking at the sky, and you’ll always see something.” adds the researcher. “I don’t know if it’s a UFO with Martians inside it, and I can’t tell you exactly what it is, but, there’s clearly something going on.”

Among the cases recorded, one of them took place last week when a resident of the Parque Aeronautico area in Ituzaingó witnessed the maneuvers of a strange object in the sky.

A group of youngsters barbecuing outside a house witnessed – around midnight – an intense luminous orb that irradiated shades of yellow and red. The father of one of these witnesses, Alberto Barrera, told MAS ALLA DEL MISTERIO that the mysterious object “broke down into little balls” shortly after flying over the area.

But to members of GRU.TAP, the events surrounding the mysterious Monte Grande explosion last year, and which was officially explained away as the explosion of gas tanks in a makeshift pizza parlor, contains the clue of a series of enigmatic events recorded both in the Western Corridor as well as various points of provincial Buenos Aires.

In this regard, Fabián Torti told MAS ALLA DEL MISTERIO that “the event was the sign that something was about to begin,” insisting that “the cover-up of the evidence left behind, and the scarce information provided about the event, only serve to multiply suspicions.”

The researcher recalls that the morning after the explosion, “one could see black Pathfinder-type SUVs, people speaking English and German, and teams working behind screens as they took away chunks of metal that were left behind after the explosion.”

[Translation (c) 2012, Scott Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Guillermo Gimenez, Planeta UFO]

Argentina: The Possible Resemblance of Humanoids in the Torrent Case (1965) to Mythical Models in the Social Mindset of Corrientes

Argentina: The Possible Resemblance of Humanoids in the Torrent Case (1965) to Mythical Models in the Social Mindset of Corrientes
By Andrés Salvador

In January 1965, at Estación Torrent, located in the General Alvear Department of the Province of Corrientes (Argentina) a possible incident involving humanoid beings took place, which would have significant media impact and in the literature on the UFO phenomenon.



Subsequent investigation by Roberto Banchs permits establishing a major discrepancy between the experiences of the eyewitnesses and their information on the event. In order to contribute elements that contribute toward an explanation of this difference, what we propose to do here is examine the possible similarity between these humanoids and the mythic models that persist in the social mindset of Corrientes, and their influence in the construction of the encounter narrative.

The Incident at Torrent. There are several versions of the events at Torrent, two of which are found in Antonio Ribera’s book America y los Ovnis (1974) from which we take, for illustrative purposes, the one presented originally in the bulletin of the Comisión Observadora de Objetos Voladores No Identificados (CODOVNI) in Buenos Aires, whose correspondent in Corrientes – Rialto Flores – had spoken with Carlos Souriou, brother to one of the protagonists:

“This is Mr. Souriou’s account. That night, his older brother and some farm workers went out on a tatú (armadillo) hunt, and upon returning home they saw some shapes in the darkness. They were short, standing a meter and a half more or less, prompting one farm worker to tell the brother: “They’re midgets, boss – let’s hack them down with our machetes.” Drawing his machete, he tried to attack the “midgets” when something strange occurred at that very moment. The farm worker’s arm was rendered paralyzed and the “midgets” increased their size up to 2.50 meters, more or less. Then the brother fired his .22 caliber rifle at them, prompting another mystery to occur: no bullet left the barrel, despite the fact that the rifle had never failed him before. He says he tried to eject the bullet from the chamber and it wouldn’t come out.

Now defenseless, the men ran back to the farm house and locked themselves in. Another mystery still: A bright light came in from the outside through the wooden walls, lighting up the interior. The younger brother nearly went insane with fear, experiencing a nervous breakdown and causing the others to cover him with boxes so he wouldn’t see the light. After a while, thinking that the “critters” – as the farmhands called them -- had dispersed, the older brother went outside to start the pickup truck parked outside the house. He saw no one. Upon reaching the vehicle, he was surrounded by figures that appeared out of nowhere. The brother ran toward the house, pursued by the beings, and the farmhands, hearing the rush, and thinking it was the “critters”, shut the doors, leaving the older Souriou brother outside. He shouted and the workers opened the door, just as one of the beings reached him and ran a hand right through his abdomen and waist as he jumped inside and the door was again shut.



After a long time, they went out again. The farmhands lay down in the pickup truck and they drove to another farm that the family owned nearby. Since the farmhands no longer wanted to return to the property, it was necessary to transfer them to another farm, and to fire another because his fear was too great. While they were locked in, the farmhands promised myriads of candles to the saints for their deliverance. Souriou added that maybe the giants were lying down or seated at first, and then stood up. He says that their eyes, perhaps, could have been reflective. We must bear in mind that they mocked them mercilessly; he added that words cannot express the horrible moments they experienced. At no time did they see any vehicle. The hand that touched one of the men wasn’t like a human one. It seemed to be made of hair something similar. He can’t explain it.” (Ribera, 1974: 85-87).

Roberto Banchs’s Inquest. In an article published with the title “Torrent, Cts: Estuvieron los Marcianos “ (Torrent, Corrientes: The Martians Were Here), Roberto Banchs (2012) presents the results of an investigation done in 1992, which took him to scene of the events, and to interview Luis Hector Soriou, witness in the case, and Carlos Soriou, alleged source of the information provided by Flores. There emerges a contrast between the information promoted about the matter and the eyewitness accounts: “The Torrent Incident also cautions us about the careless handling of information and the way in which rumors are spread. It is precisely from having seen some lights and shapes at a distance, and the remarks made about them in a distant rural community, gleaned by a local newspaper, without fact-checking or ascertaining the events. Having astonished their readership, the tendrils of this misinformation would spread throughout the world (…). The information recorded by the witnesses is so poor that we can barely support what was described: shapes and uncertain lights in the distance, in the dense thicket surround a lagoon. Inside the house, frightened people informed by the fact – at the time – that flying saucers turned up everywhere.” (Banchs, 2012).

A social construct of reality in the Torrent Case. The results of Banch’s investigation lead us to wonder if the discrepancy between the information conveyed and the eyewitness accounts obtained make it necessary – as a function of reality being a social construct – to heed the mythological theory of the cosmos (Berger and Luckmann, 2011: 216) that could serve as the matrix for the Torrent Case.

According to Julio Cesar Espinola and Luis G. Acosta Rivellini: “The society of Corrientes Province had (and still displays) all of the signs of a traditional society at the level of social stratification, the preservation of strong historical traditions and the traits of a culture with unmistakable, unique characteristics.” (Espinola-Acosta Rivellini, 1993: 190). It is possible that we may be facing a process that is characteristic of traditional societies, one through which – according to Mircea Eliade – the popular memory is hardly able to remember recent events and genuine figures, reduces events into categories and individuals into archetypes, so that “the historical figure is assimilated to his or her mythical model (the hero, etc.) while the event is included in the category of mythical events (struggle with the monster, enmity between brothers, etc.).” (Eliade, 1985:46).

Of course, the concept of assimilation in Eliade’s terms remains troublesome, since other factors were present in the Torrent Case, such as the incidence of the secularization process that characterizes the transition of a traditional society to a modern one (Germani, 1979:89-168) and the emergence of typical elements of modern life in a rural setting (Recasens Siches, 1958:442-450) and the ensuing resistance and conflict (Germani, 1979:144-149). A certain awareness of the UFO phenomenon is evident in the case (Ribera, 1974: 84).

Humanoids and Mythical Models. The mythological background of Corrientes, according to Alfredo Vara, follows a process of syncretism between the old animist traditions of the Guaraní peoples and Christian beliefs, one “with strong underlying animist components and a multitude of Medieval Christian beliefs, closely tied to daily life and nature,” which result in “an anonymous, collective spiritual structure that turned into the popular peasant religiosity of the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries in a considerable portion of the River Plate Basin.” (Vara, 1985: 28).
We must be mindful of this background when analyzing the possible assimilation of the humanoids, identified as “Martians” (Ribera, 1974:84) in constructing the narrative of the case, in what can be understood as a masking of a mythical figure, mythical models that persist in the social mindset of Corrientes (Castoriadis, 2007) that informs that background.

For this reason, we will point out the following among the isomorphism that can be established between humanoids and mythical figures such as the Pombero, the Yasy Yateré, the Curupí, and the Pora. In doing this we will employ the trichotomies of classes of signs proposed by Charles S. Peirce, as used by Martha Blanche in her irreplaceable book Estructuras del Miedo – Narrativas Folkloricas Guanariticas (Structures of Fear – Guarani Folkloric Narratives, 1982:44):

1. Iconic Level – The manner in which the mythical figure is perceived: Torrent Case (CT): Humanoids initially perceived as “short bundles”, meter and a half tall “midgets” who subsequently expand to 2.50 meters more or less, their hands were not like “ours, seemed made of hair or something like it.” Folk Mythology (FM): The Pombero is generally small and hairy, but is sometimes described as tall, and at times perceived as a bundle (Blache, 1982:51). The Yasí Yateré is a small being (Blache, 1982:64); the Curupí is a tiny being (Blache, 1982:76); The Pora is described as a bundle (Blache, 1982;85)

2. Indicative Level – How it acts: Torrents Case (CT): In the presence of the humanoids, the arm of the farmhand who tries to accost them with a machete is paralyzed; the rifle fired against them jams; they are associated with a light that “lights everything through wooden walls”; they chase and try to catch one of the witnesses. Folk Mythology (FM): The Pombero may display an aggressive behavior (Blache, 1982: 53); The Yasy Yateré can implement destructive or annihilating force (Blache, 1982: 66), the aggressive conduct of the Pora is motivated because the recipient opens fire against it and among the responses to this, the Pora may pursue him and instill fear (Blache, 1982: 86).

3. Symbolic Level – How the interviewee assesses it: CT: The humanoids cause fear, are called “critters” by the farmhands, their hands “are not like ours”. FM: The Pombero presents human shapes and characteristics but is sometimes shown as an animal, described as a hairy being (Blache, 1982: 56); The Yasy Yateré can be very bad (Blache, 1982: 69).

Nighttime and the tatú hunt. In the CT, the events occurred at night. “They saw some shapes in the darkness”. This is precisely the actuating factor that contributes to perceiving the Pombero, also known as the Caraí Phujaré = Lord of Night (Blache, 1982: 51 and 52). In the dark: “shapes become confused and indefinite (…) has connotations of quiet and loneliness and provokes associations with hours and places that meet these characteristics, such as the wilderness, siesta, streams or tree hollows. The night is mystery, the right time for hearing strange noises (…) it is very odd to see the Pombero by day.” (Blache, 1982:52-53). The night is also the supporting moment for seeing the Pora (Blache, 1982: 85). Even when siesta time is an actuating factor in the case of the Yasy Yateré, it is a Guaraní term that means “fragment of the moon” (Blache, 1982: 63).

It is no less interesting that the protagonists were on their way back from a tatú hunt, and this is because it remands us to the tutelary role of the wild and its fauna with certain characteristics, such as the Caá Pora, which can appear as a woman or a man (Perkins Hidalgo, 1987: 18). Juan B. Ambrosetti writes: “In Goyaz (…) the Indians also have a legend about the Caá-Pora. When the find a swarm of wild pigs and exterminate them, the Caá Pora appears, riding on the very last pig, and upon seeing it, the slayers are rendered idiots for the rest of their lives, so they take great care against killing off the wild pigs, and always leave a few alive. This is a very wise legend, as it tries to put a halt to the complete destruction of an animal.” (Ambrosetti, 1947:46).

Conclusion. From the foregoing it emerges that in an initial approach to the subject, it becomes possible to establish in the Torrent Case (CT) a relative isomorphism at each of the analyzed levels between the humanoids identified as “Martians” and the mythical figures, probably shielded behind them, which subsist as models. Despite the problematic nature of the assimilation, the interest that this holds for the empirical investigation of a case, and the knowledge of the symbolic universe that lends it legitimacy, is significant. (Berger and Luckmann, 2011: 229).

Bibliography

Ambrosetti, Juan B. 1947: Supersticiones y Leyendas. Buenos Aires, ed. Pingüino-Lautaro, 1947.
Banchs, Roberto 2012: Cts.: Estuvieron los Marcianos.
Banchs, Roberto 1994: fenómenos aéreos inusuales – Un enfoque biopsicosocial.
Buenos Aires, ed. Leuka, 1994.
Berger, L. Peter y Luckmann, Thomas 2011: La construcción social de la realidad.
Buenos Aires, ed. Amorrortu, Spanish trans. by Silvia Zuleta, 2011.
Blache, Martha 1982: Estructuras del miedo.Buenos Aires, ed. Plus Ultra, 1982.
Castoriadis, Cornelius 2007: La institución imaginaria de la sociedad.
Buenos Aires, ed. Tusquets, Spanish trans. by Antoni Vicens y Marco-Aurelio Galmarini, 2007.
Eliade, Mircea 1985: El mito del eterno retorno.
Barcelona, ed. Planeta-Agostini, Spanish trans. by Ricardo Anaya, 1985.
Espinola, J. Cesar y Acosta Rivellini, Luis G. 1993: Percepciones sobre la realidad política y social de Corrientes. In Revista de Estudios Regionales, Segunda época, Nº 2, October 1993, pp. 189-205.
Germani, Gino 1979: Política y sociedad en una época de transición. Buenos Aires, ed. Paidos, 1979.
Perkins Hidalgo, Guillermo 1987: Leyendas y supersticiones del Iberá. In Corrientes entre la leyenda y la tradición, Todo es Historia, Capitulo 7, Buenos Aires, October 1987, pp.14-34.
Recasens Siches, Luis 1958: Tratado general de sociología. Mexico, ed. Porrua, 1958.
Ribera, Antonio 1974: América y los OVNIS. México, ed. Posada, Serie La Otra Cara - Colección Duda Semanal 95, 1974.
Vara, Alfredo 1985: Corrientes en el mundo guaranítico. Todo es Historia, Capitulo 3, Buenos Aires, August 1985.

[Andrés Salvador is an Attorney and Professor of Law. He is interested in Symbolic Thought and in the context of its social loss and its consequences. He is likewise devoted to the study of the persistence of mythological thought and its relationship with the UFO phenomenon. He manages the OVNIS en Corrientes blog - http://ovnisencorrientes.blogspot.com.ar/ - which presents articles and information on the phenomenon and its manifestations in that Province. He also runs the Café Ufológico de Corrientes and is also a member of the Acadèmie d'Ufologie in France.
Currently, he is compiling a catalogue of cases recorded in the Province of Corrientes between 1947 and 2001]

(Translation © 2013, Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic Ufology)

Argentina: Police Report Documents 1978 UFO Teleportation

Source: VISION OVNI and Planeta UFO
Date: 01.28.2014

Argentina: Police Report Documents 1978 UFO Teleportation
By Andrea Perez Simondini with documentation from Daniel Lecomte

As we have often stated and written about the value of campaigns that serve not only to make people aware of a concept or an idea, they also allow us to find what we least expected, as occurred here: a document!

Researcher Silvia Pérez Simondini, CEFORA’s press officer, has among her functions contacting people who approach her with questions or any other information. In this manner, documentation was found that enables us to delve into the files of the Buenos Aires Provincial Police Department, containing hundreds of UFO reports.

Since the year 2012, Silvia has been in contact with Daniel Lecomte, interested in the UFO phenomenon and a resident of Buenos Aires province, who advised the researcher that he has in his possession a series of police files given to him by a retired officer.

Incredible though it may sound, this documentation was going to be discarded (literally thrown to the trash), but given that the officer was aware of Daniel’s interest in the subject, decided to save them and pass them along.



The documents, which include all manner of police reports from Southern Buenos Aires Province, contained within them a jewel, as far as our research is concerned, into the case of the Vuelta de America del Sur Rally on September 23, 1978. Unknowingly, the recipient of the file kept the information as it was given to him, unread. It was only recently that the protagonist decided to open the folder, coming across the famous case after a conversation with Silvia, who wanted to know what cases were contained within.

For those of you who do not remember or have never heard of the case, here is a chronicle, well documented, of perhaps one of the best known cases of the 1970s, involving two Chilean race car drivers during the first Rally de la Vuelta de America del Sur. Here are the details of the case through the excellent investigation performed by Guillermo Roncorconi in UFO Press No. 9, October 1978. http://factorelblog.com/2013/09/22/uf ... archivos-desclasificados/

Technical Details of the Case:
Location: Intersection of Route 3 with the rural road leading to town through Cardenal Cagliero (now R1 – Carmen de Patagones – Viedma – Prov of Buenos Aires)
Witnesses: Miguel Angel Moya and Carlos Acevedo
Date: 23 September 1978
Time: About 3 a.m.
Investigating Authority: Police Department of [the town of] Pedro Luro – Inspecting Officer Daniel Osimi, Corporal Jesús García and patrolman José Bordenave.
Secondary Witnesses: Eduardo Forechesatto (service station watchman)

The Case:

On 17 August 1978, Carlos Acevedo and Hugo Prambs departed the city of Buenos Aires aboard a Citroen GS 1220 as part of the first leg of the Rally de America del Sur, organized by the Argentinean Automobile Club and the Banco de Intercambio Regional.
The competition was truly exhausting for men and machines alike: a marathon lasting a little over a month, during which they had to reach Caracas (Venezuela) from Buenos Aires, returning along the Pacific coastline of South America.

The crew of Citroen Number 102 faced countless problems, particularly in the last segments of the Rally, which caused them to realize they might have to quit the race altogether. However, thanks to Acevedo’s determination and the assistance of over racers, they were able to “hook up” with the race again after deserting it, with a view to reaching their goal.

On September 16, Hugo Prambs quit the race due to personal reasons, and was replaced by Miguel Angel Moya. In the early hours of 23 September, Acevedo and Moya were covering the last 1000 kilometers of the Rally. At approximately 2:00 a.m. they stopped at the ACA service station in Viedma (Rio Negro Province) where they took on fuel (filling up their standard 50 liter tank plus a 40-liter backup tank), drank coffee and spoke to other racers for a few minutes. A 02:30 hours, Citroen No.102 was enroute again to Bahía Blanca, after crossing the Rio Negro and crossing the town of Carmen de Patagones.

At around 03:00 hours, having left behind the intersection of Route 3 with the rural road leading to Cardenal Cagliero, near Salitral del Agarrobo and Salina de Pedro, some 30 kilometers north of Carmend de Patagones (approximate location 40* 29' North, 62* 49' West).

Carlos Acevedo was at the wheels of the Citroen when he suddenly saw a bright light reflected in his rear view mirror. It was a dense, yellowish light. At first it looked like only a dot in the mirror. However, its size increased as he watched.

Acevedo and Moya were driving at around 100 kilometers an hour at the moment. In spite of this, the light was closing in swiftly, causing Acevedo to believe that it was the headlights of one of the heavier vehicles (Citroen 2400s or a Mercedes Benz), causing him to slow down and pull over to the right edge of the asphalt in order to allow another Rally competitor to pass him by.

The light was already filling the rear view mirror and kept closing in. Suddenly, the passenger compartment in Acevedo and Moya’s Citroen became filled with light.

“Light flooded the passenger compartment and I couldn’t see beyond the hood of the car. It was a dense, brilliant light, yellow in color with some violet hues. I thought I’d lost control of the car at the moment. I looked through the window and saw were nearly two meters over the asphalt surface. I suddenly thought we had jumped over a speed bump and braced myself on the steering wheel, waiting for the moment we’d hit the surface again,” Acevedo explained.



However, far from descending, the car seemed to keep rising into the air, out of control. “After a few seconds, I don’t know, maybe some 5 or 10, I reacted and realized that something completely abnormal was going on. I wanted to look out the window again, but all I could see was that dense light. I remember I started screaming ‘what’s going on?’ but Moya wasn’t answering. When I looked to my right, my companion wasn’t there, or at least I couldn’t see him. I couldn’t even see the dashboard. I could only see that dense light that looked liquid, I don’t know, sort of viscous,” Acevedo recalls.

Miguel Angel Moya, on the other hand, was paralyzed by fear, and explained: “Initially I also thought it was a speed bump, and was scared at the thought of the vehicle overturning, but when I noticed that the car appeared to float in the air and wasn’t coming down, I became even more frightened. It was a situation I couldn’t really understand. I looked at Carlos and I saw him completely stiff, clutching the steering wheel with his arms outstretched and staring forward. It seemed like he was screaming but I couldn’t hear anything. I could see everything as if through a yellow fog, as if I was distant, somewhere else. I think my first reaction was to try and flee from there, but when I tried to open the door it wouldn’t budge, as if welded shut. I noticed the temperature was rising, although it could have been the result of my state of fear. Suddenly the light covered everything and I couldn’t see a thing, not even my hands, nothing.”

The witnesses lost all notion of time. They felt a sudden jolt and noticed the vehicle was on the road again.

“I think a minute or two went by, I’m not really sure, and I felt a shudder, but I had the immediate impression that the car was on the road again. The yellow light appeared to dim, and I was gradually able to see my surroundings, the dashboard, the hood of the car. I looked through the window and saw the ground. We were on the shoulder on the opposite lane of the road, fully stopped. Suddenly the light vanished from the passenger compartment and saw it fading away into the west, like a cone of yellow light, but one that didn’t end in a tip, it was somewhat truncated. I don’t know. It might have measured some five meters at the base and two or three at the cusp, measuring some six or seven meters in height. The base lit the ground, ahtough you really couldn’t see what it was lighting, that is to say, you couldn’t see through the light. A few seconds later, the light…how can I explain it? …retracted itself or drew up like a curtain, from bottom to top, and all that remained in view was an oval, whitish-yellow light that kept heading west until it vanished in the distance,” said Acevedo.

Moya took a few seconds to recover from the impression produced by the abnormal situation. “Suddenly it was all over, and we were alone on the road. Carlos and I exchanged looks, but couldn’t say a word. I was numb. My hands were shaking and there was a pressure on my chest. Breathing was hard.”

Acevedo and Moya remained silent for a few minutes, unable to engage in any action or activity. Finally, Acevedo got out of the car to “make sure everything was in place”, as he said. A minute later he boarded the Citroen and headed north along Route 3 at full speed.

Fifteen minutes later, the Chilean drivers of Citroen No. 2 reached the town of Pedro Luro, a community located in the Province of Buenos Aires some 123 kilometers north of Carmen de Patagones. They stopped at a service station in order to ask for the location of the police barracks. When checking the dashboard, they ascertained two anomalous events: the odometer showed that they had covered 52 kilometers from the city of Viedma to Puerto Luro, when the actual distance between both places is 127 kilometers. Moreover, they had reached Pedro Luro at 05:10 hours, having departed the city limits of Carmen de Patagones at 02:50 approximately. Driving at an average speed of 100 kilometers an hour, it shouldn’t have taken more than 75 minutes to cover the distance between both points, but they had in fact taken 2 hours and 20 minutes.

There was a third inexplicable event: when they decided to fill up the main gas tank, they noticed their backup tank was completely empty, despite having been filled with 40 liters of fuel in the city fo Viedma. These unexplained events added to the witnesses’ confusion. In spite of their growing fear, they decided to tell their story to the police at Pedro Luro, heading to the respective barracks.

They spoke with Inspector Daniel Osimi, to whom they told the details of the incident they had experienced, asking for police custody to the city of Bahia Blanca.

The press covered the story, including magazines like Cuarta Dimension, whose Number 58 tells the story, comparing it to an event of similar characteristics in Brazil.

[Readers of Inexplicata will remember an article on the 1978 Rally involving two Ecuadoran drivers who discussed Acevedo and Moya’s own experience: http://inexplicata.blogspot.com/2010/03/ecuador-ufos-at-1978-rally.html]

[Credits in Andrea Pérez Simondini’s article: Investigación Guillermo Roncoroni - Ufo Press, N° 9, octubre de 1978. Alejandro Agostinelli – Blog Factor 304 http://factorelblog.com/2013/09/22/uf ... archivos-desclasificados/ Daniela Ciancia - Patagonia Ovni http://patagoniaovni.blogspot.com.ar/ ... ica-caso-rally-de-la.html/ Investigador Rodrigo Fuenzalida - Organizacion AION - Chile Asesor Programa OVNI
Producción TVN de Chile, Programa OVNI/Royosobocoto:http://www.youtube.com/user/royosobocoto?feature=watch/Emociónrally:
http://www.youtube.com/user/emocionrally?feature=watch]

[Translation © 2014 Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic Ufology with thanks to Guillermo D. Giménez, Planeta UFO]

Argentina: Disc With Strange Figures at Coronel Pringles (1954)

Source: Planeta UFO and Marcianitos Verdes
Date: 01.07.2015

Argentina: Disc With Strange Figures at Coronel Pringles (1954)
By Robert Banchs

The news corresponds to the end of a year that was rich in reports on strange manifestations of “flying saucers” and their landings on European soil, in particular. It heralded a rise in sightings worldwide.

On 5 December 1954, Buenos Aires’s “La Razón” newspaper reported – with glaring errors – that “Mr. Enrique Aguirre Zabala, employed at a shop in this city, and who is on vacation on a property that a brother of his owns on the outskirts of Coronel Pringles (Province of Buenos Aires), left the home yesterday at 6 to do some groceries, and saw a luminous disk in space that changed shape as it approached, becoming a “cigar-shaped” structure. When the strange object came within 80 meters of Aguirre, he tried to approach it, but was kept from doing so by the strength of the light it put out, and which blinded him. He says, however, that ‘using his hands as a screen, I advanced until I was perfectly able to see the strange device was half a meter over the ground, and that a strange figure could be seen moving within the disk.’ Aguirre added that it resembled a ‘large-headed dwarf.’ Shortly after there was a sudden, vivid flash of light and the disk rose into the air, vanishing toward to north.”

The Investigation

Coronel Pringles is a locality in the southeastern reaches of the Province of Buenos Aires, largely flat with small mountain ranges from the Ventania group. Its temperate, Pampean and sub-humid climate characterize it as an agricultural area.

A quick consultation with the Post Office and the Township led us to a store called “Los Corrales”, to the northeast and bordering with the urban waste water treatment facility, near the cemetery. It was there that we found Américo Rodolfo Aguirrezabala, who admitted to being the sole witness of the case in question. It became evident that the newspaper article suffered from errors, causing us to entreat him to give us a detailed description of the event, bearing in mind that many aspects had been forgotten and that had never been investigated in the intervening years.

Américo R. Aguirrezabala was 32 years old at the time. On the morning of 4 December 1954, between 6 and 7 o’clock, he headed from the Los Corrales store (located on current Route 51, Km. 29) where he lived with his brother Pedro to the farm belonging to his other sibling, Asencio, 1000 meters distant to the northeast on the same road, which at the time – it is said – was a dirt track. Heading out alone on a pleasant morning, he saw a “round” aeroform some 200 meters away and in front of a tree covered hill. It was pale red in color, some 20-30 meters in diameter, suspended at an estimated height of 15 meters over the ground. It was completely silent and transparent. “I’ve lucked out!” exclaimed Américo Aguirrezabala, having overcome his initial fear and glad to see a flying saucer, much spoken-of at the time. It glowed softly, although “since the Sun was on that side – located to the front and over the object – it did bother me a little,” says the witness, who kept walking toward the farm and getting closer to the phenomenon, which remained suspended in the air. Its transparency allowed him to see movement in what appeared to be its interior, like human silhouettes waking to and fro. They were three figures, two of which were in constant movement, but he was unable to make out any other details.

“When I got closer I saw them. I got nearer and saw people. Then I wondered: ‘what might this be?’ because I always say that I’ve got an enthusiasm for these things, but no, no…it was at that time that it appeared.”

However, the sighting of the “occupants” lasted barely some seconds and was at a distance of 70 meters. The occupants seemed indifferent to the startled onlooker. It was at that time that the phenomenon suddenly vanished, giving the impression of “rising over the trees, toward the right, taking off to the south-southwest. The sun was already rising.” The disappearance of the phenomenon was nearly instantaneous and imperceptible. “It vanished, it vanished as if by magic!” he said, captured by our tape recorder.

The total duration of the sighting was a few minutes, an estimation based on the 130 meters covered by the witness. Américo Aguirrezabala tell us what he was thinking at that minute: “I stopped there, wondering, wondering what it could be, what it might not be. I thought about what I’d read regarding flying saucers, and that this was one of them. And I wondered: “Why did they come here, if they don’t want to speak to us? That’s what it was, and I always say the same. My life didn’t change after this. No, not at all. It stayed the same. Nor did it affect me physically, nor did I have similar experiences after that. My wife did. One morning, she saw some green dwarves with hats of the same color, in the cornfield behind our house,” added Aguirrezabala enthusiastically.

He continued with his story, saying that he stopped to see if there were traces of the unusual presence: “There was nothing scorched at all. I saw the plants and all looked normal.” No alterations of the environment were noticed either, only the apparition of the phenomenon described. “Then I headed onward to the farm,” he says, “and I told my brother, and since he was nearby, toward the back and close to the woodland, he saw nothing. Neither did my other brother, Pedro, who was back in the store. Later it became the talk of the town, but at the store. Some said: ‘you’re a windbag, buddy, why the hell would you see flying saucers.” So, I don’t know if that was a saucer, but the thing was there, hanging [in the air] and nothing more…and as far as what was there, all I saw was the silhouettes walking back and forth, nothing more. No eyes or ears. I can’t tell you anything else. After it happened, it was over and I forgot about it.”

His statement ends with an effort to set the journalistic version straight: “It was the rage at the moment. That’s what prompted the paper to make it known. It was a news story that I had read about at the time, because I always bought La Razón. What I don’t know is who told me about it, although it could have come up from the conversations that used to come about in my store…”

Considerations on the Case

In this incident from Saturday, 4 December 1954, we have a witness who makes a clear effort to recall a sighting that took place a long time ago, without the existence of circumstances that would prompt his memory. However, the tenacity of his memory has been bolstered by the interest and the feelings set in motion by the sight of an unusual event, such as the one described by Américo Aguirrezabala.

Bearing these factors in mind, we have proceeded to collect the most essential aspects of the eyewitness account, and come up with a sort of explanation in the measures that the information provided it will allow it.

In this regard, the early hour of the sighting should be pointed out: between 6 and 7 o’ clock, according to Aguirrezabala, and “6 in the morning” according to the journalistic version. At that time, the sun rose at 5:40 a.m., precisely in the same direction in which the alleged UFO was seen.

It has not escaped us, either, that this phenomenon presented a vision similar to that of the sun: that is to say, circular, with a similar angular size, and a color frequently seen on the horizon.

On the other hand, the differences noted are: its transparent appearance (an inconsistency?), soft glow, movement on its surface, and sudden disappearance.
If we try to reconcile both characteristics, we must refer to certain optical phenomena known as parhelia (sun dogs), through which we may understand the causes for their manifestation. In studying these phenomena, scientists noted long ago that they appear when the Sun (or the Moon) are covered by a bright white veil – a layer of high stratiform cirrus clouds. These clouds float at an altitude of six to eight kilometers and are made up by tiny ice crystals, rising and descending along air currents, reflecting by like a mirror, or else refract the solar rays that fall on them like a glass prism. It often happens that the sky seems to be completely clear, but many small ice crystals float in the atmosphere without forming a cloud. This often happens when the weather is cold and clear at that altitude.

Generally, “the sundog” comes about when the Sun is not very high over the horizon, causing a large halo that goes unseen. Sundogs tend to disappear unexpectedly, or suddenly, according the movement of the sun over the horizon, the air currents and the hexahedral ice crystals floating vertically. Sundogs are not a strange phenomenon in certain parts of the world, and they are often as bright as the Sun itself (1).
In the Province of Buenos Aires (where the incident under discussion took place), there are several journalistic reports involving parhelia. Around that time, on 25 April 1949 in Bernal (2) and on 28 February 1950 in Mar del Plata (3) just to mention a few. More recently, in February 1987 and in a space of 20 days, eight cases were recorded in San Nicolas, and similar ones in Monte Hermoso and Pigue (4).
As for the silhouettes moving within it, seen diffusely for a few seconds, we believe that the witness likely saw – influenced by the worldwide saucer flap – and convinced that he was seeing a “genuine” flying saucer, he did not hesitate to attribute any movement in the optical image to the presence of unknown entities.

References

(1) Mezentsev, Vladimir, Los enigmas del cielo y de la tierra, Ediciones Suramérica, Bogotá, junio 1971, Págs. 40, 41 y 46.
(2) La Razón, Buenos Aires, 10 March 1950.
(3) Ibíd..., 1 March 1950.
(4) La Opinión Austral, Río Gallegos (SC); and Crónica, Buenos Aires, 19 February 1987.

This article originally appeared in Los Identificados: Casuística ovni con ocupantes en Argentina, N° III, Buenos Aires, July 1993, Pages 23-25.

[Translation © 2015, S. Corrales, IHU with thanks to Guillermo Giménez, Planeta UFO, Roberto E. Banch, Marcianitos Verdes.]

Luis Burgos: The First Humanoids in Argentina

Source: CIENCIA OVNI
http://humanoides-1.blogspot.com.ar/p/blog-page.html

The First Humanoids in the Country
By Luis Burgos, Fundación Argentina de Ovnilogía

Tres Arroyos, located over 600 km south of Buenos Aires, shall henceforth not only be known as the “national wheat capital”, as many of you will remember it as being the location in the province of Buenos Aires where the “first humanoid encounter in the country” took place.

In early 1971, in the full bloom of summer, I had the chance to spend the season in Orense, a lovely beach community which, along with Reta and Claromecó, constitute the main tourist attraction of the holiday season in Tres Arroyos. Logically, as I was only taking my first steps in field research, my conversation had mostly to do with the subject. So, between anecdotes and reminiscences, my mind was stirred. The agent was Mr. Vicente Pedone, my host at the time.

According to Don Vicente, in the early 1940s, he was serving as a sergeant with the Buenos Aires Provincial Police and performed his duties in this area: Orense, San Cayetano, Copetonas, Oriente, Cristiano Muerto, etc. – communities he came to know very well.

One night, while in the company of Officer Elias Gitani at a field depot, a local boy approached them hurriedly, claiming to have seen “an airplane in flames, deep in the fields”. Faced with this startling claim, Vicente and his subordinate reported to the crash site, accompanied by the young man (whom I will refer to as NN, given his anonymity). After covering a significant distance in the police car, their guide pointed out the possible impact site: There, some 200 meters away from the group, near a hill, was an exceedingly strange, glowing, disc-shaped object, which remained on the ground and in their sight. Surrounding the object was an undetermined number of figures that “came and went”.

At a distance, these being appeared to be very tall, clad in seemingly metallic and luminous outfits. They moved slowly and they carried in their hands what looked like “mugs”. We must imagine such a sight in the early 1940s.

This sight so startled the onlookers that they wisely retreated to a safer distance. But their surprise and nervousness increased when Don Vicente tried to start the vehicle. One, two, three attempts, with negative outcomes. Therefore, and rather than running across the field, they all agreed to remain within the police car. “We were left to our fates,” the protagonists of the incident remarked.

After several minutes, they saw that the false aircraft was moving backward in a slow, even movement, always level with the ground. This action caused Vicente to try and start the car again, as the passing minutes were becoming endless. The engine finally turned over and they were able to make a hasty escape, bring an end to the evening, which would endure in their memories. It is a shame that they were unable to see the final phase of the phenomenon.

The next morning, Don Vicente heard from NN that patches of burned grass were in evidence at the landing site in Orense. This, unfortunately, was not confirmed in situ by the policemen, thus leaving NN’s account as the sole, eloquent account of that physical evidence.

As the modern era of the UFO phenomenon starts with the Kenneth Arnold sighting in 1947, the word “flying saucer” had not yet been coined, and mysterious events in the countryside were described as “La Luz Mala” (the Evil Light) and with stories of ghosts, wandering spirits, etc. At least in Argentina there were no accurate accounts of UFO occupant encounters. It is for this reason, I classify this notable incident as Argentina’s First Close Encounter of the Third Kind, relegating the case of Wilfredo Arévalo and his son, which occurred on 18 March 1950 near Lago Argentino, Province of Santa Cruz, to second place. The case became widely known, but the witnesses…were never found!

As with all humanoid behavior, which looks absurd from a human perspective, there is no clear concept in this case as to why the craft landed. If we hold to the first words spoken by NN about “an aircraft in flames”, we would have no other interpretation but to imagine an accident or breakdown experienced by the object in flight as the real cause of the emergency. Given the time period, NN would have hardly thought to use another phrase to classify his sighting.

There is no doubt that he was confused by the magnitude of the light given off by the artifact as it descended. Proof of this could be the fact that no sooner had they come within an average distance of the landed craft, the police car suffered the effects produced by the magnetic field (EM effect). This would imply that the UFO was mostly intact or at least without any serious apparent consequences. But this definition would not explain the true causes of the landing and exit of its crew. Moreover, the backward motion of the vehicle, scant centimeters over the ground, is striking, since there aren’t many episodes of this nature that allow us to engage in “Comparative Ufology”, which is always valuable. Yet there is always a background incident, and I have remembered it as though it were yesterday, as I had the chance to speak personally with the witnesses.

It took place in the town of Las Juanitas, in western Buenos Aires province, in 1957. Several members of the Leali family were about to cross a field in the early hours of the morning, after having taken part of a meeting. At a distance of some 200 meters, they saw that the mill next to their house, which formed part of the train station itself, was surrounded by “strange people” dressed in white outfits, trying to enter a luminous vehicle located right on the train tracks! At that moment, they remembered a sort of “wave of warm air” reaching them. The object began to move backwards very slowly over the train tracks until it vanished from sight, without ever flying away.

These are, evidently, two events in Buenos Aires Province from a long time ago, with enticing accounts from trustworthy stories, although oddly enough, the coming years would offer no comparable situations. Are you aware of any similar incidents?

[Translation © 2013, S. Corrales, IHU. Special thanks to Luis Burgos, FAO and Guillermo Giménez, Planeta UFO]