The Zone of Silence – Anomalous Desert
Modern life can get hectic. We are constantly bombarded by notifications, calls, messages, and entertainment. Sometimes it can feel as if there is no escape. Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a place where you could go to hide from the electronic barrage?
Wouldn't a place like that be terrifying? Cut off from the umbilical of constant connection to the internet.
Mexico's La Zona del Silencio (Zone of Silence) is a patch of desert where connection goes to die. Called by some the ultimate noise-cancelling space. Allegedly, no radio signals can penetrate the Zone of Silence's mystical protection.
Chihuahuan Desert – No Dogs in Sight
The Chihuahuan Desert in Northern Mexico and Southwestern USA, is well known for weird happenings. From the enigmatic Marfa Lights, to sightings of the legendary chupacabra, this desert is full of strangeness.
By far the strangest aspect of the Chihuahuan Desert is the lack of Chihuahuas. Judging by the name alone, one imagines a desert stalked by roving packs of trembling terror.
Deep in the Chihuahuan Desert there is a patch where peculiar electromagnetic waves are said to wreak havoc on radio signals and compasses. Missiles and meteorites love crashing here, so watch your head.
The Zone of Silence covers an area of about 50 square kilometers. Set deep within the Mapimí Biosphere Reserve, which covers 400,000 hectares of Chihuahuan Desert.
History of Odd Occurrences
One of the earliest reports of strangeness in the Mapimí Biosphere Reserve, comes from the 1930s. While flying over the area, pilot Francisco Sarabia was forced to make an emergency landing due to instrument malfunction. His compass was spinning wildly, and the radio failed to find a signal.
In 1964, Harry de la Peña, a PEMEX engineer was surveying the area. He was planning a route for an oil pipeline when he discovered the area. The failure of his radio and navigational equipment prompted Harry to dub the area La Zona del Silencio.
Harry de la Peña often returned to the area in an attempt to study the anomaly. He found that the areas of silence seemed to move around. There was always a patch of electromagnetic interference, but it was rarely in the same spot twice.
As if the strangeness wasn't high enough, six years later, the US military would get involved. Conspiracy theorists and UFO researchers would soon be frothing at the jowls for the Zone of Silence.
On 11 July 1970, a top secret rocket test went off course and crashed in the heart of the Zone of Silence. The rocket was intended to test the effect of atmospheric reentry on rockets in a joint experiment by the USAF and US Army.
They intended the rocket to land in the White Sands Missile Base in New Mexico, but it went off-course by more than 500 miles (804.67 km) to land in La Zona del Silencio.
United States military officials quickly secured access to the area from the Mexican government. They descended upon the Zone of Silence to find and retrieve their rocket, which carried a capsule containing Cobalt-57.
Wernher von Braun, the famous Nazi rocket scientist who was pardoned and adopted by the USA, led the expedition himself. His involvement has added fuel to the conspiracy fire.
The soldiers sent into the Zone, allegedly, had trouble coordinating their search due to the electromagnetic anomalies in the area. No official reports by the US military mention the anomalies.
Nothing gets conspiracy types more excited than a secret government cleanup. It had to be a UFO crash.
Strange Lights, Thirsty Aliens
Over the decades since the Zone of Silence rose to local fame, there have been several reports of weirdness in the zone. Reports of lights over the desert, and strange flying objects are common here.
Numerous encounters with strange tall blonde people have been reported. The three tall figures appear seemingly out of nowhere. Witnesses claim that the figures wear clothing ill-suited to desert conditions. They speak fluent Spanish and most often ask for water.
When asked where they came from, the trio only says “from above”. Those rascally aliens are always so cryptic.
Clearly these three Norwegians have been lost in the desert for ages. If only someone would help them back to an airport.
Students of the strange will recognize these three humanoids as members of the Nordic Alien race. Nordics are tall, blond, and beautiful aliens that look like humans.
Evidence? I Don't Know Her.
That's right, there's no actual evidence of any anomalous phenomena in the Zone of Silence. No photos of the three Nordics exist, and scientists struggle to find any areas of electromagnetic disturbances.
The US rocket crash and subsequent cleanup did happen. Reports have been released describing the operation, but as mentioned earlier, no mention of radio-strangeness.
La Zona del Silencio has become a tourist attraction. Thousands flock to the area in the hopes of encountering the strangeness for themselves. Zoneros, a collective term for the tour-guides taking people into the area, love to dazzle visitors with tales of weird happenings.
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