What is an Aluxe? Mexican President elf drama explained as viral post sparks scrutiny

Ever since Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador claimed that Mexican engineers spotted and clicked a picture of a mythical Mayan elf, the internet has been having a gala time.

Taking to Twitter on February 26, 2023, the Mexican President posted a picture of an “Aluxe,” the mischievous little people of Maya mythology. The pictures uploaded were of a mysterious-looking animal with glowing eyes, and another one was of sculptures from a Yucatec-Maya archeological site.

The caption of the post read:

“I share two photos of our supervision of the Mayan Train works: one, taken by an engineer three days ago, apparently from an aluxe; another, by Diego Prieto of a splendid pre-Hispanic sculpture in Ek Balam. Everything is mystical.”

Social media users shocked after Mexican president claimed that Mexican engineers spotted an elf-like creature. (Image via Twitter)

The claims about spotting the creature quickly grabbed the attention of the netizens, as they promptly began mocking the 69-year-old president. At the same time, many people also dug up online and stated that the picture shared by the president has already been circulating on the internet for a few years.

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Details of Aluxe revealed after Andrés Manuel López Obrador claimed that some Mexican engineers saw an elf

Andrés Manuel López Obrador is known for his love of indigenous cultures and beliefs. In the aforementioned tweet, he mentioned “Aluxes,” who are described as small creatures causing chaos everywhere they go. From goblins to golems, there are a number of names given to them.

Apart from its culture and food, Mexico is also known for its Maya legends. As Aluxe has its origination in this legend, the spiritual creatures are considered deceptive by nature and are thus called the master of mischief. It is also believed that these Aluxes live somewhere near the Yucatan peninsula.

As per various reports, they are found in jungles, forests, fields, caves, and even deep stones. Many publications have also referred to these elfs as being only knee-high with wide and owl-like eyes. Their other traits include their swiftness and agility, and having the body parts of other animals like deer, macaws, and coati.

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Social media users reacted to Mexican President’s claims about spotting an Elf

As soon as the pictures posted by the Mexican President spread on social media, people were quick to dig into the matter to see if the claims were true. When the president claimed that the engineers spotted the creature while working in the jungles of the Yucatan peninsula to scope out a train line for tourists, he created headlines as people were left astonished by the claim.

As it happens, trolling became a common response, with some users jokingly commenting that they want whatever "he's smoking" or that the animal spotted in the picture is a "raccoon" or "black howler monkey."

Meanwhile, several others pointed out that the picture posted by the president has already been on the internet for a while. The claim made by netizens that the picture is old is true, as a similar picture was posted by a Twitter user on February 9, 2021, claiming that the user saw the same “elf-like figure” in Manchester.

As for the figure on the tree, it remains unknown if it is really an animal, or an elf, or just an illusion that has managed to perplex the Mexican President.