The Mysteries of Cerro Musún

     Among the park rangers of Musún, you might encounter Miguel del Socorro Jarquín Artola, a tall young man with a dark complexion and slender build, who shares fantastic stories from the Natural Reserve where he was born and grew up as a natural predator of wildlife, until he became one of its most dedicated protectors.

"One time, on that hill, I was with my dad, one of my brothers, and two uncles, and we had many dogs. We were going to hunt armadillos, agoutis, or whatever we could find. It was late afternoon in winter," says Socorro.

As is typical during winter, dense fog covered the mountains. Socorro and his father, also named Socorro, along with his brother Francisco and his uncles Ubencio Martínez and Facundo Guzmán, continued searching for animals to hunt.

The young park ranger adds, "We were still on the hill and suddenly, we saw that the place cleared up. The cloud lifted, and it was clear. Then we saw some freshly made paths, some houses, chickens, and that worried us because we knew that didn't exist. We tried to find a way out, but we kept going in circles in the same place and never got out. We were lost in the same spot."

According to Socorro's account, it was then that his uncle Ubencio rebuked them: "This is something one of us is carrying, because otherwise, we would have already gotten out." 

"I have some wild hen eggs that I picked up along the way," responded Francisco, Socorro's brother.

"Then throw them away because if not, we're going to stay lost," warned Don Ubencio. Socorro continues with his story: "When my brother threw away the eggs, we then managed to find our own tracks and could get out of the place. Afterward, we went to check what we had seen and couldn't see anything again. We realized that what we had seen didn't exist and it was because of the cursed wild hen eggs my brother was carrying. It was like an enchanted place to ensure no one took anything away."

Unveiling the Beauties of Cerro Musún (Fragment) Written by Luis Eduardo Martínez M May 2, 2004 / La Prensa Mosaico