President of Mexico went viral after he posted a photo on social media that he said was of a mythical wood elf from Mayan folklore.
“Everything is mystical,” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador tweeted on Saturday, accompanied by two photos, one of which the president said showed a “suite.”
According to traditional Mayan belief, “aluxes” are mischievous little creatures that inhabit forests and fields and tend to play tricks on people, such as hiding things. Some people leave small offerings to comfort them.
Obrador had nearly 5 million views on the post as of Sunday. One photo in the post shows a pre-Hispanic sculpture in Ek Balam, a Yucatec Mayan tribe. archaeological excavationsand another photo shows a night shot of a tree-like creature with glowing eyes.
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Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador says he has evidence of alux. (Mexico President Andres Manuel López Obrador / Twitter)
It doesn’t look like the president was joking in his post on twitter.
The photo of the alleged luxury was taken last week by an engineer at a construction site for a new railroad in the Yucatán Peninsula, Obrador said. The railroad is being built to transport tourists to and from popular sites, including Mayan ruins.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador speaks at a ceremony in Mexico City. 13, 2021. (AP)
The post caused ridicule and surprise from some Twitter users, including the suggestion that the creature in the tree is actually just an animal.
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President Joe Biden (left), Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador (center) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meet at the National Palace in Mexico City January 1. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnick)
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Other users have posted screenshots that appear to show that the photo is old and was previously used in other news stories in 2021.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.