Mexico’s president posts photo of ‘Mayan wood elf ’ as thousands protest in capital
MEXICO’S president has shared what he said was a photograph of a woodland elf that he claimed is evidence of the existence of mischievous Mayan spirits.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador posted the image, which he said showed an “alux” from ancient folklore, on his social media feeds on Saturday.
The grainy image, which appeared to have been taken at night, shows an indistinct creature in a tree. With two bright, white eyes and long hair or a headdress, it stares down at the camera.
The president suggested the creature resembled a sculpture from an archaeological site on the Yucatan peninsula.
He said the photograph had been taken three days earlier by an engineer on the construction site of a new railway line known as the Tren Maya, which will connect tourist destinations including ancient Mayan sites.
“It appears to be an alux,” Mr López Obrador, the Leftist friend of Jeremy Corbyn, wrote, adding “everything is mystical”.
The episode came as thousands took to the streets of Mexico City to protest against an alleged power grab. Social media users were quick to point out that the photograph appeared to have been circulating online in various guises for at least two years.
Many accused the president of spreading fake news. The original source of the image was unclear.
“If you believe this, you are stupid,” one user responded to his post, while another added: “It’s so easy to Google a photo to see if it’s true or not.”
Mr López Obrador has long expressed reverence for indigenous cultures and beliefs. His former environment minister also drew derision in the past for saying aluxes were real.
Mayans believed aluxes were small creatures that inhabited forests and fields and played tricks on people.
The Mayan civilisation flourished from 300 to 900AD on the Yucatan peninsula. Its descendants still live there, preserving the language and traditions.
Meanwhile, opponents flooded Constitution Square over the weekend to demonstrate against the president’s planned overhaul of the electoral authority. Critics say the plan, which includes shrinking the independent agency’s budget and staff, threatens to undermine Mexico’s democracy.