Mexican Congress ‘Alien Mummies’ (Nazca Mummies)
| ‘Alien Mummies’ (Nazca Mummies) | |
|
[ IMAGE PLACEHOLDER ]
mummified specimen, illustrative placeholder | |
| Date | First promoted 2017; presented to Congress September 12, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Location | Presented in Mexico City, Mexico; specimens said to originate near Nazca, Peru |
| Type | Purported physical evidence / hoax claim |
| Investigation | |
| Promoted by | Jaime Maussan |
| Investigated by | Independent forensic scientists; Peruvian Attorney General’s office |
| Official conclusion | Fabricated from human and animal bone fragments; criminal trafficking probe opened |
| Status | Debunked |
In September 2023, Mexican journalist and ufologist Jaime Maussan presented two small, mummified specimens with three-fingered (“tridactyl”) hands to a public hearing of the Mexican Congress, claiming they were non-human beings recovered near Nazca, Peru, and represented physical evidence of extraterrestrial life.[1]
Background
The specimens were part of a larger set of similar “Nazca mummies” that Maussan had promoted since 2017, sold in some cases to private collectors and displayed at paid public events in Mexico and Peru before their 2023 congressional appearance, the first time such specimens had been presented to a national legislature.[2]
Forensic investigation
Independent scientists who examined earlier specimens from the same series, and Peruvian cultural authorities who examined others, concluded the bodies were not biologically coherent organisms but constructions assembled from human and animal bone fragments, in some cases combined with synthetic adhesives, and did not represent a genuine, unknown species.[3] Peru’s Attorney General’s office subsequently opened a criminal investigation into the removal and trafficking of what it determined were desecrated archaeological human remains, a offense under Peruvian antiquities law.[4]
Scientific and journalistic reception
The scientific community was near-unanimous in rejecting the specimens as evidence of extraterrestrial life. Maussan has a documented history of presenting since-debunked claims, including a 2015 incident involving a supposed alien photograph later identified as a doll, which several outlets cited as relevant context when covering the 2023 congressional presentation.[5] The Mexican Congress hearing itself did not constitute a scientific evaluation and no follow-up peer-reviewed finding has supported the non-human interpretation.
See also
References
- ^ “A ufologist claims to show 2 alien corpses to Mexico’s Congress.” NPR, September 13, 2023.
- ^ “Aliens In Mexico? Not So Fast — Presenters Have History Of Being Debunked.” Forbes, September 13, 2023.
- ^ “Mummified alien corpses presented in Mexican parliament are not alien at all.” ABC News (Australia), September 14, 2023.
- ^ “‘They are not aliens’: Peru officials debunk claims that figures are extraterrestrials.” Associated Press, 2023.
- ^ “Why Would Anyone Think the Mexican ‘Alien Mummies’ Were Real?” Skeptical Inquirer, 2023.