Aliens in Mexico's Congress: Earth-Shattering Revelation or Another Hoax?

In a historic chamber where laws are usually the focal point, Mexican lawmakers earlier this week found themselves delving into the realm of the extraterrestrial.

A presentation on Tuesday in the Mexican Congress has ignited fervent discussions both in the legislative halls and the virtual corridors of social media. The burning question on everyone's lips: Alien corpses? Really? (Spoiler: very likely not.)

In a controversial session, researchers from various corners of the globe congregated in Mexico City to present what could potentially be earth-shattering evidence of extraterrestrial existence. Journalist and self-described ufologist José Jaime Maussan, a central figure in this unfolding drama, unveiled supposed mummies unearthed from the sandy terrains of Peru, which he and others believe are "non-human beings that are not part of our terrestrial evolution."

But don’t roll your eyes just yet, this isn’t The Roswell Weekly. He also says his claim is backed by scientific research. According to Maussan, UNAM, Mexico’s most prestigious university, carbon dated the corpses, and concluded that they are indeed ancient creatures over a thousand years old.

UNAM published a statement on Wednesday confirming that it indeed analyzed tissue samples and dated them. Whether the bodies are from this planet or another is beyond its scope of analysis, the university said.

“In May 2017, the LEMA (Carbon-14 Dating Laboratory) conducted a Carbon-14 dating study on a set of samples provided by the client, which, according to the information provided, consisted of approximately 0.5 grams of skin and brain tissue. The results of this study were issued in June of the same year and delivered to the requesting user," said university researchers.

“The Carbon-14 dating work conducted at the LEMA is solely intended to determine the age of the sample brought by each user, and under no circumstances do we draw conclusions about the origin of these samples,” they concluded.

Representatives for UNAM did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for additional comments.

Also present at Tuesday’s hearing in Mexico City was American for Safe Aerospace Executive Director Ryan Graves, a former Navy pilot who also testified before the U.S. Congress in July on related matters. If you’ve been following this stuff, you know this hearing well—it’s the one that introduced the world to the phrase “non-human biologics,’ uttered by retired Air Force major David Grusch, who claims the U.S. government has recovered such material from supposed UFO crash sites.

Graves, the Navy pilot, said in a Twitter post following Tuesday’s hearing that he accepted the invite from the Mexican Congress with the hopes of keeping “the momentum of government interest in pilot experiences with UAP,” referring to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (what they’re calling UFOs these days). He, however, isn’t buying Maussan’s alien corpse mummies.

“I will continue to raise awareness of UAP as an urgent matter of aerospace safety, national security, and science, but I am deeply disappointed by this unsubstantiated stunt,” he tweeted.

And he’s got good reason to think it’s all hooey.

Back in 2017, a similar alien corpse presentation was made in the Peruvian Congress, spearheaded by the same Jaime Maussan. Maussan showed Peruvian lawmakers similar “alien mummies” and claimed they were found in Peruvian soil. Maussan got his first 15 minutes of fame, and the “Nazca mummies” made the rounds in the global press. But it was all bogus.

Maussan’s Nazca mummies were debunked as a hoax involving manipulated mummies and even desecrated human remains. As reported by Latin American outlet Código Oculto at the time, experts confirmed that the supposed alien bodies were nothing more than a concoction of dog skulls and human bones, crafted to resemble extraterrestrial beings.

Sorry X-Files fans, this one sounds like more fiction than science.

We get it, though. It’s been an interesting year for those who want to believe. There’s been more talk of aliens and UFOs from government officials than ever before. NASA today announced the release of a comprehensive report from the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena independent study team, which promises further insights.

The independent study team consists of 16 “community experts,” and NASA says the report will “shed light on the nature and origin” of UAPs. We’ll see. It’s going to be hard to top alien mummies.