“It is my pleasure, Doctora.”
I excused myself and walked quickly to my room, packed my last items, took one last look around, and rolled my luggage toward the main desk. I placed my remaining lempiras and 20 American dollars in an envelope and asked that it be given to the housekeeper. As I turned to follow Mateo to the van, Joaquín held out his arms and pulled me toward him, planting kisses on both my cheeks.
“The next time you return, you will be our most honored guest.”
“Thank you, Joaquín. I will return.” I took one more look around and saw the housekeeper, half-hidden by a large palm tree. She smiled approvingly in my direction. I waved to her. As I left the hotel, I saw Teodoro standing in the entrance of a building across the street. I paused for a moment and then climbed into the van. As we pulled away from the curb, Teodoro yelled, “Usted es una de nosotros.” (“You are one of us.”) I rolled down the window and called to him, “Regresare pronto.” He understood; I planned to return soon.
As Mateo left the city limits, he casually asked, “Did you see a UFO last night, Señora? There were reports on TV this morning about a UFO. They said it appeared in the sky and disappeared in the direction of Copán.”
I did not reply to Mateo’s question. I wanted to savor the encounter I shared with Teodoro at Copán. At the moment, I needed to keep my thoughts of UFOs to myself. Later, I regretted my decision.
PART III
Walking With the Ancients:
Exploring Guatemala
With Stephens in Guatemala City searching for governmental officials, Catherwood spent three weeks drawing the ruins of Copán before falling victim to the malaria-carrying mosquitoes. After a brief respite from his illness, he set out to meet up with Stephens in Guatemala City. On his way, Catherwood met a man who told him about ruins hidden in the woods near a place known as Quiriguá, known today at Utatlan. Even though he was sick, Catherwood could not resist and set out for the mysterious city. He stayed there just long enough to make drawings of two stelae (carved stone slab monuments), which turned out to be among the largest built by the Maya. On Christmas Day 1839, Catherwood arrived in Guatemala City and met up with Stephens.
For the next several weeks they traveled through thickly forested mountains, stopping at every small village to inquire about ancient ruins. Leaving Copán, I followed the path of Stephens and Catherwood with my driver, Mateo. Like Buddy, I had contracted with him in a similar fashion, via e-mails and telephone interviews. Using Guatemala City as a base, we retraced Stephens and Catherwood’s steps stopping at the villages they had visited and locating the sites where they stopped. Unlike the hardships the two Maya explorers endured, I found the trip to be quite comfortable and enjoyable. After nearly two weeks of visiting ancient sites and collecting stories about UFO encounters, we drove toward the Mexican border and overnighted in the village of Chichicastenango.
The next day we continued our journey and drove to Quetzaltenango, a large Maya city. Catherwood was so intrigued by the city that he took the time to make a panoramic water-color of the scene. Leaving Quetzaltenango, we headed for Huehuetenango, where we stayed overnight. That was the destination where I would meet my driver, Emiliano, who would take me to Mexico. Mateo was not licensed to drive “tourists” into Mexico, so I contracted with Emiliano to drive me there. Arriving a day late, I was having second thoughts about my choice. When he introduced himself, my fears were not allayed, although during our drive to San Cristóbal, he proved to be an entertaining companion.
The next day, I said goodbye to Mateo, and with my new driver, Emiliano, I crossed into Mexico at La Mesilla. La Mesilla was much different than Stephens’s crossing. It was a town of hundreds of shanties with Indians peddling their wares along the way. Trash covered the streets, and people and cars were everywhere. It was a depressing sight and one not easily forgotten. Stephens took a more direct route into Mexico, arriving in Comitan by traveling over mountain ranges that exceeded 10,000 feet. From there he made his way to Palenque. I, on the other hand, decided to take a road less traveled and took a side trip to San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico, where a number of stories about Sky People and aliens had been reported. Once I was in San Cristóbal, Emiliano returned to Guatemala.
Although I had left Guatemala behind, a part of me stayed there. Unlike the people of Honduras, who were less forthcoming about their encounters, I met individuals who shared their stories despite their misgivings. In Guatemala, my driver, Mateo, who shared my interest in UFOs, was able to connect me with interesting individuals with stories to tell. I have included the most memorable in this section.
Chapter 11
The Devil Sent Them
Religiously, Roman Catholicism dominates Mesoamerica today, as it has for centuries. Protestant Christianity is the next largest, distinguishable religious group. These numbers have increased in the last one hundred years due to the influence of Pentecostal Christianity in particular. It has been suggested that the Indians of Mesoamerica are drawn to the Pentecostal churches because of the similarity between Pentecostal spiritual healing and traditional supernatural curing that invokes the aid of divine elements or entities. Although the modern-day Catholic Church shows far more tolerance for Maya spiritual practices, the Pentecostal faith healing and appeal to superstitions are making inroads into the spirituality of the Maya people.
In this chapter you will meet a young man who came under the influence of a Pentecostal group, bringing about a significant change in his life and his worldview.
I met Mateo for breakfast in the lobby at 6 a.m. the morning after arriving in Guatemala. We arrived late in the evening in Guatemala City and checked into the small boutique hotel with six suites. Mateo had made the reservations at the hotel, and, as I learned later, it was owned by his brother, Hernando. Because of our late arrival, I had not taken the time to look around the hotel. Following an early dinner in my room and a luxurious bath in the “largest bathtub in Guatemala,” according to my host, I fell asleep within minutes. As I sat at the breakfast table the next morning, I was struck by my surroundings, which I had not noticed the night before.
The hotel was infused with a subtle, sumptuous, colonial elegance. The panoramic terrace and bougainvillea-draped veranda and fresh flowers on the Guatemalan textile tables were a feast for the eyes. Four waiters approached our table. One young man flamboyantly placed a linen napkin on my lap; another placed a bottle of water in front of me, bowed, and backed away from the table; a third brought butter, which was molded into small chickens; and the fourth brought a pot of coffee to the table.
“Whatever you want to eat, whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they will make for you,” Mateo said. “There are no menus. The hotel management prides itself on catering to the special traveler and is prepared to make any dish their guests might want.” He poured coffee into two cups and passed one to me while I retrieved my notebook from my bag. “For us, a meal should be an experience. So time is not an issue. It takes longer to prepare custom meals, but the end result is pleasurable. You get good food and good companionship.”
I put away my notebook, looked at Mateo fleetingly, and took a sip of the black Guatemalan coffee. At that moment, I was still tired from the night before and was not interested in discussing food preparation. All I wanted was black coffee, toast, and fruit, so that the two of us could proceed with planning my itinerary. Mateo must have noticed my indifference, because he countered by turning his attention to me. “How did you sleep, Doctora?” he asked.
“The bed was comfortable, the hotel quiet, but I’m still tired.”
“I called your room last night, but there was no answer. You must have been tired. There was a lot of activity at the hotel last night.”
“What kind of activity?”
“Several of the guests and hotel workers saw a UFO.”
“Did you see it?” I asked. He nodded.
While I was chastising myself silently for not answering the phone, Mateo continued: “It w
as an incredible display. It hung in the air above the hotel for maybe two or three minutes and then disappeared to the west. One of the hotel workers was outside taking a cigarette break when the object appeared overhead. He rushed inside and told the crowd at the bar. Within seconds, everyone was outside.”
“I can’t believe I missed it. I was tired. I had been up all night when you picked me up yesterday morning. A friend took me into the Copán Ruinas at night. You arrived just as I was returning from the site.”
“There were reports of a UFO sighting the night before,” Mateo said. He paused and took a sip of his coffee. “Do you remember when I asked if you had seen a UFO in Copán?” I nodded. “It looked like the same craft that was described on the TV about the sighting the night before.”
“Can you describe it?” I asked.
“It was circular, but like a brightly lighted wheel. It hovered over the hotel. I would say it covered the whole building. Probably about fifteen meters (50 feet) in circumference. It was like a floating city. At one point it tipped slightly and witnesses claimed they saw human forms inside a translucent area on one side of the craft. I did not see that. Individual blue lights circled the entire craft.”
“Did you see windows?”
“Windows, I’m not sure. There was a translucent area that covered about three parts of the craft. But I am not sure they were windows. Maybe indentations. I could see light through them. All of the blue lights gave off an unearthly blue glow. The lights changed as the rotation increased and turned to orange. The lights turned red when it moved away to the east.” A young, Maya waiter approached and took our order. When he left the room, Mateo added coffee to my half-empty cup and announced, “That young man saw the UFO last night. He told me he was taken on board the craft.” I set down my cup and looked in the direction to which the waiter had disappeared.
“Really?” I asked. Mateo nodded and smiled. “This is astonishing! When I was in Copán, I went into the ancient city at night. I saw a UFO. It was like a rotating wheel. At first, I thought I was dreaming. It was about the same size as you describe. I remember looking at my companion and he seemed to be in a trance. I pinched myself and looked at the craft again, and that’s when I realized that I was fully awake and that I had had an encounter.” I paused, waiting for some kind of response, but there was none. “Please say something,” I said.
“I believe you,” he said. “I’ve had similar experiences at Copán.”
“Perhaps I should ask you to tell me about your experiences,” I replied.
“We have several days, Doctora. As we get to know each other, I will tell you many things.”
“Do you think the waiter would talk to me about his encounter?”
“I will ask.” I watched as the young waiter wheeled a cart to our table and carefully placed our dome-covered plates in front of us. In the middle of the table, he placed a bowl with oranges, bananas, and mangoes and replaced the pot of coffee with a fresh one.
“Eduardo, the Doctora would like to hear about your encounter with the UFO.” The young waiter glanced at me and immediately looked away. “Please sit down and tell us what happened to you,” Mateo said. The waiter looked nervously toward the kitchen. “Don’t worry. I will tell Hernando I asked you to join us.” Mateo reached over and pulled out the chair next to him. “Sit. Have you had your breakfast?” Mateo asked. Eduardo nodded and rubbed his hands on his pants anxiously. “Good.” He picked up the freshly squeezed orange juice in front of his plate and set it before Eduardo. “Please, tell the Doctora what you told me earlier this morning. Take your time.”
“Last night, I was walking home from the hotel. I live about two kilometers (1 1/4 miles) from here.”
“What time was it?” I asked.
“It was late. I worked until the bar closed. Then I washed all the glasses and cleaned up after the guests.”
“Eduardo lives with his mother and on the nights when the hotel is not too busy, he stays here,” Mateo explained. “There is a room that the management has set aside for him, but when the hotel is full, they rent the room and he has to go home to his mother’s house. Last night was such a night.”
“Where did you see the UFO?” I asked.
“I first saw it when it was hovering over the hotel. I was delivering drinks to the tables and taking orders for the bartender when José [another waiter] came in and said there was a UFO outside. The bar was emptied in seconds.” He looked at Mateo. “You were there. You know what happened.” Mateo nodded.
“Yes, but the señora does not know. So please tell her your story.”
“After work, I started home. It was a very clear night. Suddenly I saw the craft come from the west. It was a large orange thing, shaped like a bicycle wheel. It moved around and around. I think it hypnotized me. I thought at first it was headed away from the city, but instead, it stopped and hovered over my mama’s house. I was afraid for Mama. I ran toward the house and just as I came around the bend in the road, I saw it and it saw me.” He paused and took a drink of the orange juice. Mateo laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“You are doing fine. Please continue,” Mateo said reassuringly.
“A bright blue light came down from the bottom of the craft. It was a beautiful sight and I felt very happy. I knew I had nothing to fear from the visitors. It was a strange feeling. When I left the hotel I was very tired. I no longer felt tired. I felt alert, as though I had slept for hours. They told me to be calm.”
“How did they tell you? Did they speak to you?” I asked interrupting him.
“I heard their voices. I am not sure. But it was not long before I became afraid again. It was when the blue light changed to a white light, I got frightened. I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed. That’s when I felt my feet leave the ground, and although I struggled kicking my feet and swinging my arms, a powerful force pulled me upward and I could do nothing.”
“Were you aware that the light was coming from a UFO?” I asked.
“Not at first. When I saw the blue light, I thought it was a ‘Jesus miracle.’”
“A ‘Jesus miracle’?” I asked.
“Yes. There have been many ‘Jesus miracles’. Many people have had them in our village,” he said. I looked at Mateo for an explanation of a Jesus miracle.
“‘Jesus miracles’ have been occurring as a result of the fundamentalist religious movement in the area. Pentecostal preachers have moved into the area. Lately, to the chagrin of the local Catholic priest, a group of homegrown evangelists have begun converting the local people to an evangelical type of Christianity. They are the copycat healers that are like the TV evangelists in the USA. They talk about ‘Jesus miracles.’ They say they can heal with their hands. The people are superstitious and uneducated, and they want to believe that God can work miracles and healings.”
“But I thought most people were Catholic,” I responded.
“That was before the evangelical groups began reaching out to the people. They have food giveaways and dinners. The people go to eat and listen to the evangelicals who fill their heads with a different kind of Christianity, like the ‘Jesus miracles’. To you and me, it sounds absurd, but to the people of these villages who are both religious and uneducated, this new religion has become a tremendous influence on their lives. In some cases, it has provided comfort and, some say, miracles. It is cheaper to be a Pentecostal than a Catholic. They no longer have to pay for the different ceremonial events. They only have to pay money to the preachers when they have it.”
“So tell me, Eduardo, what happened after the light changed to white?” I asked.
“I was taken on board their craft. They showed me around and told me that they loved the Maya people. I was chosen because of my Maya heritage. They said that the knowledge from the stars has always been hidden in the Maya hieroglyphs but they have never been deciphered correctly. So, they have decided to choose a Maya man to teach the knowledge to the world.”
“Do you think you are that ma
n?” Mateo asked.
“They said I was the messenger. They said the earth is changing and that a new world will come soon. They said there will be wars and Earth shaking. People will starve because the Earth will burn. We are living in the fourth world, but a fifth world is coming. It is too late to stop it. I am supposed to tell the people to get ready. The four horsemen will come first. They will ride on white, red, black, and yellow horses, symbolizing the four corners of the world and the colors of the people of the world. When these horsemen appear, the fourth world will end and the fifth world will begin.”
I looked at Mateo. I was not sure if he was thinking the same thing that I was, but it seemed that Eduardo had confused biblical revelations with alien beings.
“Did the aliens tell you about the four horsemen?” I asked.
“Yes. And other things,” Eduardo replied.
“What kind of things?”
“I don’t remember. My head is fuzzy. I don’t want anyone to know about this. When I tried to explain it to Mama, she said I was cursed and that the Pentecostals had filled my head with nonsense. She said the Pentecostals were the devils and not the Sky Men.”
“Can you describe the Sky Men?” I asked.
“They are smaller than me.” He held up his arm to about four feet. “They were dressed in white suits and wore masks.”
“What do you mean that they wore masks?”
“They had helmets, like motorcycle helmets, on their heads but their face was like a mask with large goggles. They hid their faces so I don’t know what they look like. If I knew, I might be afraid of them even more.”
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