The Carlos Diaz Close Encounter

By
Marcus Lowth
Published Date
June 14, 2019
Last Updated
September 4, 2020
Estimated Reading Time
7 min read
Posted in
Aliens, Encounters

The apparent close encounter case of Carlos Diaz dating back to the beginning of 1981 in Mexico City, Mexico is one of those cases that appears to truly divide opinion one way or another. Some UFO researchers and investigators steadfastly believe the incident to be perfectly credible. Others just as firmly believe the claims to be nothing more than a fabricated hoax for money, attention, or both.

A picture claiming to show a real UFO

Does this picture show a UFO?

Whatever the truth of the matter, almost four decades later the case still holds the interest of UFO researchers around the globe. And it is easy to see why. The encounters would occur on several separate occasions. What’s more, much like the humanoid visitations of the 1950s, there was seemingly a transferring of information and even consciousness from these cosmic visitors.

Perhaps what makes the Carlos Diaz case so incredibly unique is that while it might divide opinion among the UFO community, it can fight its own corner in its own right while using its own evidence. Before we move on and examine these sightings in detail, check out the video below. It features one of several sightings captures on tape by Diaz.

The Ajusco Park Incident, January 1981

As Carlos Diaz made his way to the Ajusco Park just outside Mexico City on assignment as a freelance photographer, he noted how dark the morning sky remained, such was the early hour. As he arrived at his location, he noted the journalist he was supposed to meet had not yet arrived. He pulled his vehicle into the parking area and turned off the engine.

A close-up of Carlos Diaz

Carlos Diaz (right)

Even at this hour, with the sun yet to show itself fully, the day was going to be hot. The air was already “thick” at this early hour. Diaz shot a glance to his watch eager to begin. As he did so, however, a “yellow glow” captured his attention. The first thing to enter his mind was that the glow was the consequence of a forest fire.

However, by the time he had focused his gaze fully, he could clearly see a “large, orange, oval-shaped” object in front and above him. The aerial anomaly was an estimated 30 feet from the ground. And appeared to be completely silent.

Not daring to take his eyes from the craft, he scrambled around for his camera. Using the steering wheel as a makeshift rest, he quickly took several pictures as quickly as he could.

As he snapped the last of the shots the car itself began to shake as if it were caught in a sudden earthquake. Unsure what to do, Diaz stumbled from the car. As he did so, he managed to capture two more photographs.

Then, the glowing craft shot straight upwards into the early morning sky, vanishing in an instant. Following the cacophony of activity and the bizarre otherworldly orange craft, now all was absolute silence. As if nothing at all had actually happened.

Diaz remained still, contemplating the strange encounter.

If You Want To Know More…?

He would contemplate the incident for weeks after. In fact, he could think of little else. On several occasions, he would travel back to the scene of the sighting. However, he wouldn’t witness anything as strange as that January morning. If it wasn’t for the photographic evidence, he might have doubted what he had seen.

Then, on 23rd March 1981, he would again witness the strange glowing craft. And once more, the bright, orange glow announced its arrival. On this occasion, Diaz had left his car parked and was walking towards the forest that overlooked Ajusco Park. An orange was seeped out of the forest and through the rain and fog that clung to the air. He would later describe the craft as “dome-shaped” with a “smooth ring” in the middle.

A close-up of an alleged real UFO

A close-up of an alleged real UFO

Diaz positioned himself behind some walks around 50 yards away from the craft and watched events unfold. He was confident he was safe from his position. That was until he felt a hand grab his shoulder. A moment later, everything went black.

The next thing he knew, the glowing object was no longer there and he was laying on the ground. It was also much darker than when he viewed the object. Even stranger, his clothes were bone dry, despite the rain that was pouring down at the time of the sighting.

Diaz pulled himself to his feet, more than a little unnerved, and made his way to his car. However, as he went to enter his vehicle, a strange “humanoid” stepped from the car in front of his and turned to him.

The figure said that should he wish to learn more about the encounter, he should return to the same spot tomorrow. Then, he left with no further words or instructions.

A Second Meeting!

Diaz would do as asked and returned to the clearing near the rocks where he had witnessed the glowing craft close-up the previous day. As promised, the humanoid figure was there waiting for him.

It was, according to the humanoid, they who had grabbed his shoulder the previous day. Furthermore, his memories of his encounters with them would come back to him in time. And what’s more, what he recalled, he would understand.

Although confused at the time, the humanoid figure was indeed proven right over the coming weeks and months. He would recall the night he witnessed the craft in the forest clearing opposite Ajusco Park. He had reached out in order to touch the glowing craft. As he did so, though, his hand passed straight through the glowing exterior. Even stranger, he appeared to “merge” with it.

A mystical picture of the Earth, a human figure and a face in space

Do aliens target certain individuals?

Then, his mind jumped to being in a huge cave, with the craft in front of him, seemingly atop a purposeful platform. He realized that there were “people” all around him. He would further recall:

It was full of stalagmites, some of which were carved into what appeared to be Mayan scripture!

He was then led towards another room which was essentially, another, smaller cave. Inside, were “seven glowing, egg-shaped orbs”. The humanoid told Diaz to step into the one nearest to him. He did so, and his entire vision was filled with yellow.

Then, he could see nothing but the forest. He would claim:

I could see the details of the forest as if I were walking through it!

He would continue how he could feel the air, the temperature, and even the smells of the woodland. Basically, he would experience everything except touch it.

A Cosmic Manchurian Candidate?

The orbs, it would seem, were some kind of learning device which allowed a person to experience a destination as if they were there. Very similar to the virtual reality technology we are seeing enter the market today.

Furthermore, according to his humanoid host, the orbs also imparted knowledge and information. And, although he did not realize it at the time, such information had been passed into his mind, which would unlock and release over time.

This is another interesting concept. Almost across between subliminal learning and Manchurian-candidate-type mind control.

A close-up of an alleged UFO

A close-up of an alleged UFO

Whether that was the intention of the humanoid figure is perhaps open to debate. It would, though, if we accept Diaz’ version of events, appear unlikely. With that, Diaz would find himself back on the main craft. And then, back in the woodland of the Ajusco Park.

On the surface, bearing in mind the already bizarre nature of the UFO and alien question, it would appear that Diaz’ account is perfectly plausible. However, what perhaps makes the account questionable, at least to some, are the claims of continued contact with these humanoid visitors.

Off the back of very similar claims to other suspected hoaxers of environmental warnings from visitors from out of space, many would distance themselves from Diaz. However, what made Diaz different from those hoaxers, was that he appeared to have solid proof in the form of several photographs. And what’s more, those who studied the pictures, by and large, found them to be authentic.

No Evidence Of Fakes Or Manufacturing

Several individuals and organizations have studied the pictures taken by Diaz. And they are almost universally accepted as genuine and untampered with.

Respected Mexican UFO researcher, Jamie Maussan, would pass the photographs along to Professor Victor Quesada from the University of Mexico. He would state that the pictures “broke all previous parameters” of the images they held on their databanks. He would continue:

The light was extraordinary intense. There was no evidence of superimposition or a hoax!

They would further estimate the object to be around 30 to 50 meters across, and the “spectrum of light” was something nobody had ever seen before. You can see one of those pictures below.

A close-up of an alleged UFO

A close-up of an alleged UFO

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory would also analyze the pictures. Their findings were very much in sympathy with Quesada’s. Dr. Robert Nathan would state that he could “find no evidence of a fake”. And we should note that Nathan is an ardent skeptic.

One of the pictures, in particular, was highlighted as being specifically hard to fake. In it, the car windshield clearly shows a reflection of the craft overhead. What’s more, the same reflection also came from the railing at the side of the road. According to the experts, these particular shots are extremely hard to manufacture convincingly.

A close-up of an alleged UFO

A close-up of an alleged UFO

The Endorsement Of John Mack?

Perhaps of all the UFO investigators who would examine the encounters of Carlos Diaz, one of the most credible is perhaps John Mack. Mack was perhaps one of the first “academics” to look at Ufology, and in particular, alien abductions from a series point of view.

Not only would Mack examine thoroughly the Diaz case, but he would also label it one of the most convincing and credible encounters on record. He would write of the incident and state:

“Out of all the experiencers I have worked with, it is Carlos Diaz who seems to have developed the richest understanding of the interconnected web of nature!”

He would continue how Diaz had a genuine “experience of connecting” with all living creatures. The humanoid would even go as far as to state that his encounter was akin to an “awakening”. He would make comparisons to other abductees, although the feeling was the strongest by far in Diaz.

It is hard for many to go against the endorsement of Mack. He is, after all, over a decade after his death, one of the most experienced and respected UFO and alien abduction investigators of the last few decades.

More And More Proof Of Authenticity

If the endorsements of respected UFO researchers and several convincing photographs that several experts have claimed are genuine is not enough, then surely 30 seconds of clear video footage would be.

The previously mentioned Mexican UFO researcher, Jamie Maussan would give Diaz a video recorder in November 1991 and ask if he might attempt to capture the objects he witnessed on video. Diaz agreed.

Several weeks later, at a similar time to the first sighting just after 5 am, Diaz suddenly awoke. He grabbed the video camera that Maussan gave him and walked outside his house. Within minutes, according to the report Diaz would give, an orange, glowing craft appeared.

Following the capturing of this footage, Maussan asked if Diaz might be able to get even closer.

In response, he managed to capture footage of the UFO directly above him. However, it is perhaps the third piece of footage that was the most intriguing. Diaz would place the camera on a tripod stand and then walked out of the yard and into a field near his home. Once there, he would begin waving a flashlight by way of communicating.

Suddenly, the orange glowing craft appeared in the sky above. Furthermore, “beams of light” were projected downward toward where Diaz was standing. For the next 30 seconds, the UFO simply remains motionless before disappearing. Perhaps interestingly, the description of the disappearance was as though the craft “blinked out” or was “switched off”. This description comes up more than we might realize with UFO sightings.

Check out the videos below. The first looks at the aforementioned sightings, while the second features an extended interview with Carlos Diaz.

 

Marcus Lowth

Marcus Lowth is a writer with a love for UFOs, aliens, and the Ancient Astronaut Theory, to the paranormal, general conspiracies, and unsolved mysteries. He has been writing and researching with over 20 years of experience.

Marcus has been Editor-in-Chief for several years due to his excellent knowledge in these fields. Marcus also regularly appears as an expert on radio talk shows including Troubled Minds and Unexplained Radio discussing these topics.

Read Marcus' full bio.

You can contact Marcus via email.

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