Flying Cigars and Giant Humanoids in 1950s Argentina

In the 1950's a series of strange reports came from a remote region of Argentina. The incidents caught the attention of those tracking UFO reports at the time and the activity was attributed to possible visitors from another planet.

But looking at the details closely, with an open mind, we find that these reports move into territory uncomfortable for many investigators--a case that appears to have elements of both UFO activity and evidence of giant humanoids with traits similar to Sasquatch.

Flying cigar shaped crafts, strange cries ringing out in the wilderness, giant human like prints high in the mountains and more. Here are more of the details:

The Atacama region of Argentina, location of strange incidents.

Puna Atacama, Argentina. A desolate region located on the heights of the Cordilleras, near the country's border with Chile.

Statements were made to reporters in 1956 that indicated there was evidence of:

"...strange beings on the snowy caps of the Macon, a mountain which rises to a height of 6,700 meters."

"The witnesses said that they had seen tracks, human-like in characteristics, of giant proportions, not only in the frozen sands of the Macon, but also in the snow on the pampas where they abode."

Apparently, the tracks were first seen and reported a year before, in the fall of 1955. Coinciding with the tracks were reports of a "colossal commotion" on the side of the mountain. People in the region believed that an aerial object had made impact with the mountain. The incident site was never investigated and there were no reports of missing planes in the area at the time.

Some locals stated that the object that crashed into the side of the mountain was a "giant airship of a strange form like a Havana cigar."

"Flying cigars" similar to this were being reported in the skies over Argentina.

In fact, locals made numerous statements that they had seen craft shaped like "flying cigars" in the skies over Salar de Guisare. A few weeks after these reports, people living in the area started to talk about the strange tracks being found high in the mountains.

The two incidents may be unrelated, but UFO trackers of the period speculated there was a connection. It was, after all, the 1950's a time when people were convinced that the Earth could be invaded by spacemen at any time. One researcher wrote:

"...these facts have given rise to the possibility that extra-terrestrial beings are landing on the planet earth!"

According to an article of the time:

"It is to be noted that due to the vast extension of snowy pampas on the heights of the Atacama, the place is ideal for such landings of airships of gigantic proportions, and may well indeed be related to the declaration of the residents of the region, who affirm that they have seen flying over the region, strange ships whose length was calculated at 300 meters!

The National Gendarmes supplied the newspapers with some photographs showing the passage of the strange craft in the skies over Salta and these were similar to those seen in other parts of the world."
(I have been unable to locate these photos as of the posting of this article)

Purportedly, there was more evidence and testimony gathered from locals as the incidents were probed further:

"Informants declared that on occasions they have heard, with great clarity, strange cries resounding during the time of the setting sun and especially when the creeks began to freeze at nightfall.

In addition, people have said that, among the crags where the condors and eagles make their abodes, they have found quantities of these birds dead and partially destroyed, and their nests ravaged.

The witnesses also said that in all the cases, near or around the nests, they have seen giant human-like tracks which cannot be attributed to bears, as was thought in the beginning."

Apparently, according to locals, although the details of these incidents were known for some time, they were not reported for fear of ridicule.

Locals in the area, especially those who ventured into the mountains and saw the evidence, believed that the incidents were proof of the intrusion of strange visitors in the region.

Apparently, a "well known geologist" by the name of Spitch reported seeing the anomalous tracks in the mountains which prompted other people to come forward with their testimonies.

What exactly was going on in the skies over Argentina? Experimental aircraft? Actual extraterrestrial visitors?

And what made the giant, human like tracks high in the mountains while raiding the nests of dangerous raptors and other birds?

Some researchers at the time made immediate connections believing that giants had come down to visit from another planet. Later researchers dismissed the incidents because they didn't fit a comfortable paradigm of nuts and bolts UFOlogy. But in a quiet village in Argentina, locals knew that something unusual was in their midst.

Some reports of these incidents were originally filed by Horacio Gonzalez Ganteaume.