Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
It's not just the freaks and hippies. Even normal-looking people in Capilla del Monte
have stories about strange lights appearing in formation in the night skies over
nearby Cerro Uritorco. The stories go way back, too. In 1935 Manuel Reina reported
seeing a strange being, dressed in a tight-fitting suit, while he was out walking on a
country road. In 1986 Gabriel and Esperanza Gómez saw a spaceship so big that its
lights illuminated the surrounding countryside. The next day a burn mark measur-
ing 122m by 64m was found at the point where it reportedly landed.
A couple of years later, 300 people witnessed another ship, which left a burn
mark 42m in diameter. And in 1991 another burn mark was found. This one meas-
ured 12m in diameter, with a temperature of 340°C. Geologists were called in and
they claimed that nearby rocks had recently been heated to a temperature of
3000°C.
Why all this activity around Capilla del Monte? This is where it gets really weird.
One theory is that Ovnis(UFOs) visit the area because Cerro Uritorco is where the
knight Parsifal brought the Holy Grail and the Templar Cross at the end of the 12th
century. He did this to lay them beside the Cane of Order, which had been made
8000 years before by Lord Voltán of the Comechingones, the indigenous tribe that
inhabited this region.
Another theory is that they are drawn here because underneath Uritorco lies
Erks, a subterranean city, which, according to 'hermetic scientists,' is where the fu-
ture regeneration of the human species will take place. Inside you'll find the Esfera
Temple and the three mirrors used to exchange data with other galaxies, and where
you can see the details of the life of every human being.
The official explanation? Good ol' meteorological phenomena, caused by super-
charged ion particles in the atmosphere, mixed in with a healthy touch of mass
hysteria.
Whatever you believe, one thing's for sure: all this hype isn't hurting little Capilla
del Monte's tourist industry one bit. Until recently, the only people climbing Urit-
orco were goatherds and a few interested townsfolk. These days, numbers can ap-
proach 1000 per day, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious lights.
If you want to climb Uritorco (1950m) you must start the climb before midday,
and begin your descent by 3pm. The 5km hike to the top affords spectacular views.
From Capilla del Monte, catch a taxi or walk the 3km to the base of the mountain.
Capilla del Monte is a comfortable enough place to base yourself - the town has
plenty of restaurants and lodging; the
tourist office
( 03548-481903;
www.capilladelmonte.gov.ar
; cnr Av Pueyrredón & Buenos Aires; 8am-8pm)
in the old train sta-
tion has mounds of information. For more info on UFOs in the area, drop in to the
Centro de Informes Ovni
(
03548-482485;
www.ciouritorco.org
;
Juan Cabus 397;
