El Chupa De Mayo
Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 5th, 2006
Today is El Cinco De Mayo (“The Fifth of May” in Spanish), which commemorates the defeat of the French army by the Mexicans led by General Ignacio Zaragoza at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. Many cities with significant Mexican and Chicano populations throughout the United States schedule special events on the 5th of May. It has been embraced as a day to celebrate Latino culture throughout Hispanic America, which, of course, today covers all of North America as well. Therefore, in our tip of the hat to El Cinco De Mayo, today we celebrate El Chupa De Mayo, in honor of Chupacabras.
You may be intrigued by these two items I am sharing below, in the spirit of celebration for the day and enjoyment of the topic. First, here’s my newly aquired banner from the NBC television series Surface, and, secondly, a copy of the original drawing describing one of the first sightings of El Chupacabras (“The Goatsucker”) from Puerto Rico.
Flashback moment. This is my often-quoted response to a question from ABC News about the new cryptid. Chupacabras: “It’s sort of like Jennifer Lopez, kind of cross-cultural.” – Loren Coleman, 1999.
See also “Chupawhat?”.
What do you think of Chupacabras in the Americas of 2006?
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
The funniest thing about the Chupacabra phenomenon to me is the way that we can watch a legend evolve.
For instance, when the dog-like creatures were shot near San Antonio a couple years back, I remember reading a quote from a lady saying that this was, indeed, a chupacabra, because it looked like what her grandmother described to her as a child.
But the Chupacabra phenomenon is relatively new and we can trace, through the reports, its spread from Puerto Rico to the South and Central American mainland.
And speaking of the San Antonio Chupas, did anyone ever hear what happened with the DNA tests they were doing on them?
oops, I spelled Chupacabras wrong…
I believe the legend will continue to grow. Just look at the spawn of Chupacabra related movies in the past decade. It will exist as long as people believe in it. I am one of those believers.
Now you have a rash of sightings in Russia:
Similar descriptions, same modus operandi.
The Russian article first appeared in Sploid, I believe, as a spoof.
i will only say i am not for anything crossing the boarder illegally. especially chupacabras. but maybe the boarder patrol will catch one and we can cross one cryptid off the list.
joking aside weather it be a chupacabra or a Sasquatch i hope one legend dies and a new species is born.
ive been hearing alot about chupaccabras in the the last few years and i must say this is the drawing ive seen of one. looks like a cross. gray alien, heyena, porcupine, chicken. also looks like the product of a bad acid trip, hope i never see one!
Loren-
Isn’t the site I linked reputable? Did they get scammed? The link is doesn’t work now, maybe they just caught it.