Is this Tamaulipas city protected by UFOs?

Mexico is nary alien to surrealism. In fact, the surrealist Spanish creator Salvador Dali erstwhile proclaimed that the exuberantly spontaneous federation is more surreal than adjacent his astir imaginative works. You tin spot it each successful Mexico: a beer-bellied Spider-Man climbing assorted objects successful a plaza astatine midday to summation immoderate coins; armies of dancing Dr. Simi’s connected bustling corners; firefighters rescuing a feline from a histrion portion a adjacent quinceañera proceeds below, uninterrupted. The Mexican net has adjacent dubbed it each arsenic a taste joke, often with the rubric “Mexico vs. AI” — that is, thing comical and oregon captured connected video that represents Mexico’s seemingly fictional scenarios and people.

So, it’s not completely shocking erstwhile thing similar an full formation assemblage of residents believes that an underwater extraterrestrial spaceship is hiding offshore — and builds signage and monuments successful their honor. But that’s precisely what has been going connected successful the northeastern authorities of Tamaulipas astatine Playa Miramar successful Ciudad Madero, bordering connected Tampico.

Are aliens protecting the city?

In summation to being a picturesque tract for weddings, Playa Miramar is protected by aliens, according to section legends and lore successful Ciudad Madero. (Roberto Arcide/Unsplash)

Rather than being a gag oregon a gimmick, it’s believed that the outer abstraction visitors person protected the metropolis from immoderate important hurricane harm since 1996, erstwhile the past large hurricane, Inez, killed 74 crossed Mexico and damaged Tamaulipas. Before that, aggregate hurricanes, including two successful 1933, had near the metropolis flooded and devastated. But, tellingly, that hasn’t happened since reports of aliens emerged. 

Amupac — the sanction that has been fixed to the alleged alien basal that is believed to beryllium submerged little than 1 mile from the beachhead — is simply a awesome of determination optimism and anticipation that dates backmost much than fractional a century. The Association of Scientific UFO Research of Tamaulipas, oregon Aicot, was founded implicit a decennary agone by Juan Carlos Ramón López Díaz, the group’s leader, who says helium “visited the basal … via astral projection,” according to a study successful The Guardian. Today, they proceed to beforehand their beliefs astir it, and determination are rumblings of a imaginable UFO museum connected the horizon.

Last October, Marciano Fest, a seven-day alien-themed festival, took spot with 947 costumed attendees. The city’s tourism manager has announced that the section authorities is unfastened to proposals for UFO depository exhibits successful an effort to summation its alien-loving reputation. 

A past of alien sightings and conspiracy theories

Formal documentation of UFO sightings (or OVNI, for Objeto Volador No Identificado, in Spanish) tin beryllium traced to arsenic aboriginal arsenic 1967, erstwhile “thousands” of residents reported 9 unidentified flying objects successful an nonfiction published successful El Sol de Tampico. In caller years, Vice has interviewed assemblage elders similar Beatriz García, who adamantly assertion that the formation is protected by an chartless extraterrestrial force. Vice shared that successful 2022, Tropical Storm Karl “took a crisp crook distant from that portion of the shoreline, and connected further southbound connected the Gulf Coast of Mexico.” (To beryllium fair, Vice did besides talk with a coastal meteorologist who debunked it all).

In 2005, with Hurricane Katrina projected to hit, locals gathered with signs asking for assistance and protection. Katrina famously past veered disconnected people and importantly damaged New Orleans, Louisiana. There are conflicting theories arsenic good that are based successful religion and science, 2 forces that are historically astatine likelihood with each other.

An emblem of determination identity

Beyond the lore, debates, and conspiracy theories, though, 1 happening is surely true: the assemblage has rallied astir it each and turned it into a prideful emblem of the region, replete with statues, signs, costumes, graffiti, restaurants, conferences and much — each centered astir Amupac and its otherworldly inhabitants.

It each adds to the ongoing allure of Mexico, which successful and of itself often appears to beryllium successful a antithetic magnitude altogether. That’s due to the fact that determination aren’t excessively galore destinations successful the satellite wherever you tin talk with a section beachgoer and his nephew who are dressed up arsenic aliens, past transverse the thoroughfare and get tacos and a brew astatine an alien-themed eatery, each portion soaking up the prima and enjoying your clip successful the astir surreal fashion.

Alan Chazaro is the writer of “These Spaceships Weren’t Built For Us” (Tia Chucha Press, 2026), “Notes from the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge” (Ghost City Press, 2021), “Piñata Theory” (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), and “This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album” (Black Lawrence Press, 2019). He is simply a postgraduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People programme astatine UC Berkeley and was selected arsenic a Lawrence Ferlinghetti Poetry Fellow astatine the University of San Francisco. His enactment tin beryllium recovered successful NPR, The Guardian, SLAM, GQ, L.A. Times, and more. He is presently based successful Veracruz.