In 1966, Pemex oil company survey leader Augusto Harry de la Peña encountered complete radio failure here, giving the zone its name. On 11 July 1970, a US Air Force Athena rocket launched from Green River deviated from course and crashed into the center of the zone, making it famous. Residents and visitors have reported compass failure, large meteor falls, strange sky lights, mutant plants and animals, and UFO sightings. In 1977, the Mexican government designated 340,000 hectares as the Mapimi Biosphere Reserve.
Account
In 1966, Pemex oil company survey leader Augusto Harry de la Peña encountered complete radio failure here, giving the zone its name. On 11 July 1970, a US Air Force Athena rocket launched from Green River deviated from course and crashed into the center of the zone, making it famous. Residents and visitors have reported compass failure, large meteor falls, strange sky lights, mutant plants and animals, and UFO sightings. In 1977, the Mexican government designated 340,000 hectares as the Mapimi Biosphere Reserve.
Debunked
Scientific explanation attributes the radio interference to underground magnetite and meteorite fragments. Fossils in the area belong to a period tens of millions of years ago when the basin was under the Tethys Sea. Claims of US government blockade to research alien technology are conspiracy theories with no archival support.
Sources
- Pemex 1966 survey records
- US Air Force 1970 Athena rocket recovery archives
- Mexican government 1977 Mapimi Biosphere Reserve decree