Taken from Earth: The Lost Contacts
People assume that because I give higher strangeness ratings to multi-witness reports or reports where there is independent corroboration of some kind that I dismiss all other cases. No, that is not how it works because although it is one person’s account there can be additional factors that make it more credible. The Jean Hingley “Mince Pie Martians” report could be easily dismissed but at the time there were a number of UFO reports and then there was the ground trace that the percipient could not have made by herself.
Yes, there are reports that when you read the first paragraph it is easy to say sleep paralysis or even hypnagogic state. Even so, as far as I am concerned, those reports are still worth noting -as is the fact that “veteran” Ufologists and “ghost hunters” cite these as reports as evidence. If you are a “Thirty year veteran Ufologist” and you hear of sleep paralysis and immediately jump to “alien abduction” or a “Ghost hunter” and this is all a sign of a demon or paranormal activity it might be time that you moved on to actually reading books because all you are doing is pushing fantasy.
A solo witness or percipient with no independent back-up witnesses is one whose word you have to take but still gets a low strangeness rating. During 1968 there was another alleged world-wide UFO wave and I found out a long time ago that around 79-85% of UFO reports during these periods are anything but unidentified. However, if you have a period of UFO activity not publicised until much later (in other words some Ufologists are aware but not the public) then the reason for someone to make up a close encounter story for publicity or whatever is not there. One case that I read of with interest at the time was the 1968 Villa Carlos Paz incident.
At the time Argentinian Ufologist Luis Burgos was unable to investigate but luckily Oscar A. Galindez wrote a lengthy report for the Flying Saucer Review (The Anthropomorphic Entity at Villa Carlos Paz vol. 26, no. 5 pp. 8-17) and its location layout map and illustrations were far superior to most other FSR reports at the time. It was also interesting to read an article by Luis Burgos who asked Daniel Jose Lopez, FAO, Bs. As, to visit the location and interview the witness in 1986 some 18 years after the incident had occurred (posted in English as The Night Visitor, Sign Of The Times website). Burgos wrote:
“From the incomparable 1968 Argentinean - and worldwide - UFO wave, I remember that one of the most widely known and controversial cases involved an encounter between a young woman and a strange entity in the mountain ranges of Córdoba. Much has been said since then: that it was a hoax with the purpose of attracting tourists, that the protagonist herself confected the story, to a media-driven creation. Even today, naysayers hiding behind curtains will have a field day with it”.
Well, a UFO incident not attracting debunkers is no rarity but Burgos noted:
“And the trip yielded results, since the eyewitness interview presented fundamental evidence suggesting that "something indeed happened at the time". A story that was consistent, detailed”.
Above: Maria Elodia Pretzel (c)2024 respective copyright owner
The Villa Carlos Paz is described as a classic Argentinean tourist destination, located some 30 kilometres west of Cordoba. Along Route No. 20 and some two kilometres from the centre of town is the "La Cuesta" motel. This motel is owned by Mr. Pedro J. Pretzel and his 19 years old daughter, Maria, helped in running the establishment. Maria Elodia Pretzel was described at the time as a determined young woman who was well thought of in her community. It was ascertained at the time of the encounter that she did not read science fiction. Early in 1968 she had undergone surgery (I can find no reference regarding what the surgery was for and Galindez does not even refer to it). After recovery, she assisted in managing the hotel.
At approximately 0105 hrs on the 14th June, 1968, Mr. Pretzel was driving home along Route 20 when he saw "two large red lights, side-by-side over the road, too far apart to be the tail-lights of another car" and around 100 metres from his motel. It is worth noting that there were no street lights in the area at that time. As Pretzel was within 50 metres of the lights he realised that they were much higher off the ground than he had assumed; around 1.40 to 1.50 metres in fact. The lights were also much further apart than any vehicle tail lights; the space between them being approximately 5-6 metres. The red lights reflected off of the road surface and he believed that thewy were actually attached to a large object that he could not see due to the darkness. Turning into the motel parking space he halted his van, got out and entered the motel by the side door
Above: floor plan of the main encounter area (c)2024 respective copyright owner
Pretzel noticed that the regular lights in the dining room were off but that the fluorescent lights were still on -as they were in the kitchen. Looking around he found the laundry light was on and this was unusual as his daughter was quite conscientious about such things. He called out to his daughter assuming that she was still up and about but got no reply and so he went into the laundry. Here he found his daughter on her knees and distraught and all she say was “A man! A man!” This is where the Burgos account varies and this may be due to a poor translation as he writes; “he headed for her bedroom, only to find the young woman spread out on the bed, unconscious” in fact, Galindez wrote: “he found her on her knees on the floor and huddled over a divan, her head between her hands and her elbows propped on the divan”. This is why original accounts are important to get a hold of.
After his daughter burst into tears, Pretzel set off to search for the intruder who had put his daughter in such a state. The cellar beneath the laundry was empty as were all the other rooms in the building. He then went outside and searched but found no one. One thing he did note was that the two red lights were now gone; this was the UFO sighting component of the event. Pretzel then went back inside to comfort his daughter and ask her what had happened.
At 0102 hrs, Maria Elodia had accompanied two guests to the side door and car park and then closed the door, though he could not remember whether she had locked it. She then switched off the ordinary lights on the ground floor and mezzanine as well as the decorative lights. The three fluorescent lights were left on all night -the Burgos account makes their being left on seem unusual which it was not. She then walked across the small bar area and through a side door into the kitchen before heading for the laundry. Her intention was to lock the rear door of the building. The lights were still on in the kitchen and laundry but as she was about to lock the back door noticed a bright light showing through the serving hatch and seeming to come from the bar or dining room. This slightly blue glow from around the serving hatch puzzled her as only the three fluorescent lights should be on. Thinking that either her father had returned or a guest had arrived and turned the other lights on, Maria Elodia headed for the dining and as she doorway between the bar and kitchen area she received a shock.
In front of the bar counter, 7 metres from her, stood a 2 metres tall man dressed in a shining light blue, tight-fitting one-piece suit that was made of a material that gave the impression of scales; this covered the hands as feet as well. Around the waist was a narrow blue belt. In the entity’s left hand was a glass-looking sphere which “irradiated a coherent beam of light – light of a faintly pale blue colour, almost white”. The entity was constantly moving this sphere back and forth all the while smiling. He was standing as though he had just stopped mid-stride and the side door leading to the car park was open and Maria Elodia assumed he had come entered through this. Galindez notes that:
“Her first visual contact with the entity produced two simultaneous effects...on one hand she had the sensation that she was being misshaped, drawn out lengthways, and made thinner, particularly her face. It felt as though some invisible and superior force were affecting her whole body and distorting it. She explained that the sensation was in a way rather like the effect of those distorting mirrors that one sees in amusement centres.” While experiencing this she tried to call out but could not “she felt as though her brain was blocked; she used the term “ocupado” occupied. All that she could do was raise her hands to her head and stand there, motionless. A non - accented voice speaking Spanish “as though there were a loudspeaker or transistor radio fixed inside my ears” the words “Don’t be afraid! Don’t be afraid!” (“¡No tengas miedo!”) and this phrase was continuously repeated.
Above illustration of the entity as described by the percipient in Galindez’s report (c)2024 respective copyright owner
Maria Elodia felt herself suddenly grip the bar counter with both hands – although she had absolutely no recollection of having moved there from the door -18 years later how she was still unable to explain what happened. Is it possible that something else happened? The times given by father and daughter are too tight to suggest missing time so, perhaps, Maria Elodia did moved herself but it was automatic and just not recalled. Whatever, the entity was still on the same spot but now just 3 metres away. The entity was rhythmically moving the sphere in its left hand back and forth. The words “Don’t be afraid!” were repeated as she felt a tingling sensation in her legs as though they “had gone to sleep”.
The entity now raised his right arm, palm of hand upwards and the tips of his fingers were emitting flashing beams of light. It was now that Maria Elodia noticed that on the back of the entity’s was attached a rectangular device which covered the four fingers. It was as the entity had raised its arm that she also felt herself drained of strength and falling backward; but the falling was slowed down and all her muscles were relaxed. This stopped when her head was only 20- 25 cms from the floor -only her heels were in contact with the floor. Her body then began to slowly rise until she was once again standing upright; once again she gripped the top of the counter, however, the entity raised his right arm and once again she fell slowly, but this time to her right and the falling process stopped when her shoulder was 20 – 25cms from the floor. Then, once again, she rose until standing upright and again grabbing the counter. The entity now began to approach her.
Above: from Galindez’s report the rectangular object on the back of the entity’s hand and lights coming from its finger-tips (c)2024 respective copyright owner
The entity moved to the extreme right of the counter moving slowly with one foot straight in front of the other and still smiling away. Maria Elodia now noticed that the tips of the entity’s toes were also emitting luminous beams just like his fingers. The glowing sphere in the entity’s hand now “went out” and the sphere was a dark blue collar. Now she could see that the light had been coming from a number small protuberances resembling truncated cones. When the sphere went out so the repeating of “Don’t be afraid” also stopped. The entity then “began to flex his left forearm until it formed a right angle to his body” and remained motionless in that position for several seconds before turning on his heel in a clock-wise direction to face the side door leading out into the car park. The entity then started to walk towards the door in the “toe of each foot touching the heel of the other foot”. Now the percipient noticed that at that rear the entity was wearing a sort of “pleated skirt” made of the same material as his suit. Still with left arm extended and unlit sphere in hand the entity reached the door and being a little taller than it, lowered his head slightly and walked outside; the door closed behind him but whether he had physically closed it she had no idea.
As the entity left so the tingling sensation left her legs and she tried to escape into the rear rooms but was shaken and stunned. Bracing herself against the wall and counter, she managed to get into the kitchen and then to the laundry where she dropped to her knees against a divan; it was here that her father found her and at no point did she lose consciousness. At 0600 hrs that morning for a few seconds she felt the tingling sensation again in both legs; this happened 2-3 times the next night. Over the following nights she frequently woke up in terror having heard the words “Don’t be afraid!” and it is likely that this was the psychological after effects of the encounter. The emotional state she was in lasted for several days and got worse as her menses started.
Dr. Hugo Vaggione was the ex- director of the Villa Carlos Paz Municipal Hospital and the Pretzels family doctor and because of the after effects of the encounter suggested that Maria Elodia go away for a while and so her father sent her to Salta for three weeks. On her return home she was “fully recovered”.
The investigators checked on times
and because Maria Elodia had looked at the alarm clock to give two
guests a call and from there it was estimated that the encounter
lasted 3- 4 minutes so from seeing the bright light at 0103 hrs and
the entity leaving at 0107 or 0108 hrs; her father arriving at 0110
hrs.
What did Burgos reveal from Daniel Jose Lopez’s
investigation? Well, a lot of confusion as already noted and this:
“The being advanced toward her with a kindly, calm manner, moving his lips slowly, speaking a strange, melodic language that reminded her of Japanese. He said something like "cling-gling-crish". At a given moment, the young woman felt a sensation of "bubbles in her head" and a feeling of perspiration, but when she touched her neck, she was perfectly dry. Maria Elodia was able to dash for the safety of the counter, even as the entity moved the orb constantly and tried to get near her. She claims that she could hear, in the recesses of her mind, a message that repeated: "Don't be afraid…
“Suddenly, the bright orb went out.
The stranger stopped, spun around and withdrew toward the outside
door. As he turned, the experiencer was able to see a kind of skirt
around him, but the truly uncanny event occurred as he approached the
door: it opened by itself and closed as he departed.
“From that moment on, Maria Elodia, who had backed away, remembered
nothing more. A few moments later, her father arrived.”
Here we have to wonder whether this was a bad translation or if, after 18 years, Maria Elodia’s memory was playing tricks; although a poor investigation report cannot be ruled out. There is a quote from Dr. Vaggione whose age is given as 33 this must therefore be a quote from the time of the encounter as if the good doctor was 33 some 18 years after the incident then he was a very young ex - hospital director! The doctor described Maria Elodia as a somewhat introverted person but not one given to fantasy.
There were claims of high levels of radiation found at the points where the entity had stood but this appears to be false information from Ufologists and others who never investigated the report.
Checking, Burgos did note:
“There was, however, another close encounter in Argentina with an occupant resembling the one in the Villa Carlos Paz incident. This was the famous encounter at La Florida, in San Luis, where a tall figure, similarly clad, appeared before three fishermen on the night of February 4-5, 1978.”
Interestingly, there were numerous UFO reports on the night of the 13th /14th June “and humanoid sightings throughout various provinces in Argentina. Right there, in the vicinity of the "La Cuesta" motel, local residents reported seeing "two very powerful red lights" in flight around 22:00 hours on the evening of June 13.” But the UFO activity was known about in 1968 so nothing new was really added to the case.
Let us say that there was no UFO seen by Mr Pretzel and others that night what are we left with? A young woman working hard in a motel in the early hours of the morning after recovering from surgery earlier in the year: what was the surgery for? The sensations Maria Elodia describes could be neurological or, if she had slipped into an altered state they were all in her mind. The tingling and waking in terror having heard the voice again could also be psychological and unlike Jean Hingley’s case there was no mysterious ground markings left behind. That would all fit rather nicely and explain things away.
Looking at it from a UFO angle we have the young woman at the motel alone after having seen the last two guests off. How long had the object Mr Pretzel observed been hanging around? It was an unlit road and would the two guests notice the red lights? Doubtful but there is something missing here and that is a complete documented schedule for Maria Elodia that day with times as accurate as can be. She looked at the alarm clock and saw it was 0100 hrs and remembered that the two guests had to be called but what was she doing up to that point since there was just her and the two guests in the motel? The duration of the encounter is odd as is the fact that she could not remember whether she had locked the side door or not and the entity just being there. Were the investigators looking at the wrong period of time in this case?
There seems to have been UFO activity and the red lights were attached to an object near the motel suggests that it and the entity were connected. Why did Mr. Pretzel not see the entity as it left the motel as it was, if correct, at best 2 minutes from when the entity left the motel and Pretzel drove into the car park. Did the entity leave as it was alerted to Pretzel’s imminent arrival? The investigators did an excellent job of covering the period of 0100 to 0110 hours but everything before that...nothing. It is far too late over five decades later to find out and this is why we have a very interesting case but incomplete: always look at how any percipient spent the day and night before an encounter and treat that period of time as being just as important as the duration of the encounter.
We have a very brief (we believe) encounter and no physical evidence as well as one where the supposed percipients undisclosed reason for surgery and physiological and psychological effects could be used to dismiss the case.
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