The Mexican newspaper El Grafico for August 24, 1965 apaprently published a story which was taken again by other newspapers, by French Presse agency AFP, and was then summarized in ufology sources.
The story told that on August 19, 1965, a flying saucer landed in a field close to the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City at 08:30 a.m..
The saucer was described as a large luminous vehicle with a cupola on the top, a huge tripod landing gear at the back, and a kind of radiator which, at the time of the descent, had burned the grass of the entire place.
Allegedly, two 0.80 meters tall beings came out of the saucer, wearing a kind of gas mask on the face, and they put a piece of strange metal on the ground, then returned to the saucer which left.
This was stated two students of the National Polytechnic Institute, Yago and Payo Rodriguez, who said they witnessed the occurence.
The press indicated that a journalist and a photographer of the El Grafico newspaper who were near the Polytechnic Institute where the students said the saucer had landed were able to confirm that the grass in a field was burned and that there were holes in the ground made by a huge tripod.
The press also stated that the strange piece of metal had an engraved message, and that it "is subjected today" to an examination at the laboratory of the National Polytechnic Institute.
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[Ref. od1:] "O DIA" NEWSPAPER:
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[Ref. gc1:] GORDON CREIGHTON:
British ufologist Gordon Creighton indicates that in Mexico City, Mexico, at 08:30 a.m. on August 19, 1965, two Mexican students who were brothers, Yago and Payo Rodriguez, allegedly saw a large luminous disc surmounted by a cupola land in an open field near the Mexican National Polytechnic Institute.
They said that the landing-gear of the craft consisted of a great tripod, and that the machine had a sort of "radiator" beneath it which, as it touched down, burnt the grass all around.
From the disc, two small beings about 80 centimetres in height and wearing "gas-masks" emerged. They left on the ground, in front of the astonished and frightened students, a piece of strange metal. They then re-entered their machine, which at once flew away.
The students picked up the piece of metal, which bore a peculiar inscription, and handed it over to the Laboratory of the National Polytechnic Institute, where it was undergoing examination.
Scientists from the Institute interrogated the two students and made a careful investigation of the alleged landing-site, where, in addition to the burnt grass and the marks of the tripod, they found drops of some strange sort of fluid, presumably fuel.
A journalist and a photographer, both of the staff of the newspaper El Grafico, testified that on the morning of August 24, they went to the spot indicated by the students and there saw the scorched grass and the marks left by the tripod. Large numbers of curiosity-seekers also visited the site and inspected the evidence.
Gordon Creighton indicates that the sources are Ultima Hora, Buenos Aires, August 25, 1965, El Grafico, Mexico City, August 24, 1965, O Dia, Sao Paulo, August 25, 1965.
[Ref. gt1:] GUY TARADE:
Guy Tarade seriously of jokingly reports that extraterrestrials seem to make everday use of metallic pieces as calling cards.
Like in the Joao do Rio case, such a piece of metal also was given by two 80 centimeters tall men on Thursday, August 14, 1965, to two students of the polytechnic Institute of Mexico City, and it was studied by the school laboratory.
[Ref. or1:] "ORTOTENIA" WEBSITE:
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APRIL-JUNE 2001. THE POLYTECHNIC PLAQUE OF MEXICO. On August 19, 1965, two students of National Polytechnic Insitute of Mexico, in Mexico City, told these spectacular facts. Yago and Payo Rodriguez said that at eight hours and half in the morning a luminous disc with a dome landed on three legs and that two creatures of some eighty centimetres of stature carrying something similar to gas masks came out of it, showed a metal plaque in front of them, and left in the disc. (El enigma de las extrañas criaturas. Jonn Keel. Page 150). The story is spectacular in itself but let's bring some more data: The researchers found scorched grass at the supposed landing spot, and the marks of the possible landing gear. One also found drops of a strange fluid, composed of alumina and silicon. The plaque was delivered to the laboratory of the Mexican Polytechnic Institute, and one knows apparently nothing more about it. Investigative leads: Is there another bibliographical reference for this spectacular case? Did the Mexican newspapers publish something on this matter? What about Yago and Payo Rodriguez? Did there really exist? Could they be interviewed? Who were the researchers who found the scorched grass? Were photographs of the marks taken as well as of the landing spot? What did the analysis of the unknown fluid find? Can one obtain copy of the analysis? Or better still where are the alleged samples? And what happened with the famous plaque? Is it in possession of the Polytechnic Institute? Did it carry out the analyses? Can one obtain a copy of that? If other lines of research to be followed come to your mind, we only ask you to share them with all the ufointernautes, who visit this page. STATUS OF INVESTIGATION. Waiting for answers. |
[Ref. sc1:] SCOTT CORRALES:
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Two students at Mexico City's Instituto Nacional Politécnico would become the protagonists of a still-debated "close encounter of the 3rd kind" which would be among the first of its kind in the country. The brothers Yayo and Payo Rodríguez achieved national prominence when on the morning of August 19, 1965, at eight o'clock in the morning, they claimed having witnessed the landing of a sizeable glowing disk on an open field near the Politécnico's campus. The otherworldly vehicle allegedly charred vegetation as it settled to the ground on its tripodal landing gear. As if the landing of this spaceship, drawn straight from My Favorite Martian, wasn't enough, the Brothers Rodríguez also claimed that a pair of diminutive beings wearing respirators of some kind emerged from the craft and walked up to the terrified students, depositing at their feet a metallic object. The dwarfish "away team" (in Star Trek parlance) returned silently to their conveyance, which took to the air in a matter of seconds. The Rodríguezes delivered the putative extraterrestrial fragment to the campus laboratory, where it was apparently subjected to analysis by investigators. According to an article in Mexico's El Gráfico newspaper (defunct) a few days later, a number of journalists and photographers from different media organizations visited the site, where burn marks were plainly visible and where traces of a curious liquid, characterized as "fuel" (leaded? unleaded?) were found. Despite the good physical evidence, Yayo and Payo were not considered credible witnesses. Even Dr. Santiago García, in his landmark book OVNIS Sobre México, would headline his chapter on the Rodríguez case as "¿de cual fumarían?" ("what kind did they smoke?"). |
[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Mexico City, Mexico, on August 19, 1965, at 0830 a.m., two students at the National Polytechnic Institute, Yago and Payo Rodriguez, saw a large luminous disc, surmounted with a cupola, land on tripod legs in an adjacent field. From it emerged two beings 31" tall, wearing "gas masks," which laid before the students a metal bearing an inscription, then got back in and took off again. The metal was under study at the Institute. At the site were found scorched grass and landing gear marks.
Albert Rosales indicates as source John A Keel and UPI Dispatch.
[Ref. ud1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on August 19, 1965, at 08:30 a.m., in Mexico City, Mexico, two male college students named Rodriguez saw large a luminous domed disc land at a soccer field, on tripod legs. Two 2.6 feet tall beings, wearing "gasmasks" laid before them a metal plaque with an inscription. There was scorched grass, imprints.
The website then provides the summary in [ar1].
The sources are indicated as Webb, David, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports; Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Keel, John A., Strange Creatures From Time and Space, Fawcett T2219, Greenwich, 1970; Pereira, Jader U., Les Extra-Terrestres, Phenomenes Spatiaux, Paris, 1974; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Bloecher, Ted R., Ted R Bloecher investigation files; Phillips, Ted R., Ted Phillips investigation files; Phillips, Ted R., Physical Traces Associated with UFO Sightings, CUFOS, Chicago, 1975; Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002; and Rosales, Albert, Humanoid Sighting Reports Database.
Nothing comes up to persuade me that this could not be simply some hoax elaborated by a facetious journalist providing a sensational story, or some sort of commercial teasing in El Grafico mistaken for a "true story" by other newspapers.
It does seems that all the claimes and claims of physical evidence of the story all originate from "El Grafico", "The Illustrated", a disappeared newspaper about which nobody seems to have been able to assess the general credibility.
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data | Severe | July 24, 2008 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Missing primary source El Grafico. | Help needed. | Opened. |
| 2 | Ufology | Severe | July 24, 2008 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | No follow up information, such as copy of the alleged engraved message. | Help needed. | Opened. |
| 3 | Ufology | Severe | July 24, 2008 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Case not investigated, press story only. | Help needed. | Opened. |
Possible invention or Press invention or advertizing scheme.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
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| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | July 24, 2008 | Creation, [od1], [gc1], [gt1], [ot1], [sc1], [ar1], [ud1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | July 24, 2008 | First published. |
