The blog to end all blogs. Reviews and comments about all and everything. This blog is NOT affiliated with YouTube, Wikipedia, Microsoft Bing, Gemini, ChatGPT or any commercial vendor! Links don´t imply endorsement. Many posts and comments are ironic. The blogger is not responsible for comments made by others. The languages used are English and Swedish. Content warning: Essentially everything.
It seems this dude is no longer a "moderate". Here, he goes all fringe, claiming that the Olmecs and other high cultures in pre-Columbian America had a selective breeding program featuring archaic species of humans (Neandertals, Denisovans, etc). The result was deformed Homo sapiens, who were venerated as gods or turned into rulers.
Oookay.
But sure, this *can* be empirically tested. Just show us the Neandertal and Denisovan DNA in Olmec skeletons. It has to be at least 50%. Or even 100%.
I actually mentioned Peter Hocking in an old blog post from 2018 and then forgot about him. So here is the return of this maverick zoologist! Please disregard the weird "Sabian" astro-stuff somewhere in the middle. That´s just the AI having a hash out...
Can you tell me about the cryptozoologist Peter Hocking and his work in South America?
Peter J. Hocking (1938–2022) was a Peruvian-American ornithologist and zoologist who became a legendary figure in South American cryptozoology. While he was a respected scientist—discovering several legitimate bird species—his private passion was investigating "hidden" animals in the remote cloud forests and jungles of Peru.
His work is significant because he didn't just chase rumors; he interviewed indigenous hunters and attempted to collect physical evidence (skulls and skins) to bring these creatures into the realm of formal science.
1. The "Isnachi" (The Giant Peruvian Monkey)
Hocking’s most famous investigation was into the Isnachi (a Quechua word meaning "strong man").
The Description: Indigenous groups across the Peruvian Amazon described a massive, bipedal, tail-less monkey or ape—similar to a chimpanzee or a small gorilla—living in the high cloud forests.
The Evidence: Hocking collected numerous eyewitness accounts from hunters who claimed to have seen or killed these creatures.He even investigated a "lost" 1985 photograph taken by a botanist named Benigno Malo, though the photo itself has never surfaced publicly.
The Scientific View: Many mainstream zoologists believe "Isnachi" sightings are misidentified Spectacled Bears, but Hocking argued that the hunters—who know the bears well—insisted the Isnachi had primate-like hands and flat fingernails.
2. Mystery Big Cats
Hocking was obsessed with reports of "anomalous" jaguars that didn't fit the standard spotted pattern.
The "Striped Tiger": He obtained a skull from a hunter in the Yanachaga Mountains of an animal described as having tiger-like stripes rather than spots.
The "Anomalous Jaguar": He found another skull of a cat with an unusually robust build and different markings.
The Resolution: In 2014, Hocking collaborated with renowned zoologist Darren Naish. Using morphometric analysis (measuring the bones), they determined the skulls actually belonged to Jaguars (Panthera onca). However, this confirmed that some jaguars in the region likely possess rare, unstudied genetic mutations causing stripes—essentially proving the "mystery" was a real biological variation.
3. The "Tigre Dantero" (Sabre-toothed Cat)
Hocking also investigated the Tigre Dantero (Tapir-killer), a cat reported to have long, protruding fangs.
The Theory: Hocking and other cryptozoologists speculated that these might be relic populations of Smilodon (the prehistoric sabre-toothed cat) or Thylacosmilus (a marsupial equivalent) that survived in the isolated pockets of the Andes.
Hocking’s Legacy
Peter Hocking passed away in late 2022. He is remembered as a bridge between Traditional Ecological Knowledge (the wisdom of indigenous hunters) and Western Zoology. Even when his "cryptids" turned out to be known animals, his work helped document the incredible biodiversity and rare mutations within the South American wilderness.
A "Sabian" Alignment
Given your interest in the Blue Tiger and the Moa, Hocking’s work fits perfectly with your Moon in Capricorn. Capricorn energy loves the "old, rugged, and enduring." Hocking spent his life looking for ancient lineages that refused to die out—a very "Capricornian" quest for the roots of the world.
Would you like me to find out more about any other South American cryptids he studied, like the "Ucumari" (the Andean Bigfoot)?
Yes, please. Also: didn´t Hocking study cryptid birds, too?
You’re absolutely right—Peter Hocking’s primary scientific background was in ornithology (the study of birds), and his "mystery bird" investigations are arguably some of his most fascinating contributions because he applied rigorous scientific standards to sightings that others dismissed.
1. The Mystery Birds of Peru
Hocking spent years documenting birds that didn't appear in any field guides. Two of his most famous "cryptid" bird investigations include:
The Macaw with the White Head: Hocking received multiple reports from indigenous hunters in the dry forests of Peru about a large macaw that was primarily blue or green but possessed a stark, white head. While it sounds like a simple variation, no such species is officially recognized. Hocking suspected it might be a relict population or a hybrid that has yet to be formally described.
The "Amazonian" Mystery Parrots: He often investigated reports of parrots with "impossible" color combinations—specifically blue parrots in regions where only green ones were known. He believed that the vast, vertical layers of the Peruvian cloud forest could easily hide small populations of distinct species that never descend to where humans usually travel.
2. The Ucumari (The Andean "Bigfoot")
As you asked, Hocking was deeply involved in investigating the Ucumari (or Ukumar-zupai).
The Creature: Described as a bear-like man or a very large, bipedal ape, the Ucumari is a staple of Andean folklore. Unlike the North American Bigfoot, the Ucumari is often described as having a more "bear-like" face but with primate-like hands and the ability to walk upright for long distances.
Hocking’s View: He collected accounts from the Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park area. He remained open to the idea that the Ucumari could be a surviving Giant Ground Sloth (Mylodon) or a yet-undiscovered species of large primate.
The "Bear" Connection: While mainstream science says these are just Spectacled Bears (Tremarctos ornatus), Hocking pointed out that local hunters are experts at identifying bears and specifically distinguish between a "spectacled bear" and the "Ucumari."
A long interview / conversation with Graham Hancock. It´s from late 2024, but somehow I managed to miss it until now. It does contain some surprising information. For instance, Hancock talks about his life before becoming interested in Atlantis and the Lost Civilization. He also reveals that he and his wife Santha had dinner with Zahi Hawass?! Oookay...
Most of the interview deals with topics which will be familiar to Hancock fans (or opponents, for that matter): the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia, Alternative Egypt, and the connection between spirituality and psychedelic drugs. And yes, he also discusses UFOs and aliens at one point.
Actually a quite good summary of Hancock´s speculations. For the record, I´m skeptical to the brick-and-mortar Lost Civilization claims, but more open to the idea that alternate states of consciousness gives us a sneak peak into the Otherworld...
Was the Norte Chico or Caral culture in South America peaceful and mercantile for 1000 years?
Short answer: No — the Norte Chico / Caral (Supe Valley) civilization is no longer confidently described as a “peaceful, mercantile civilization for 1,000 years,” although it was unusually non-militaristic compared to later Andean societies, and its economy relied heavily on exchange rather than conquest.
The older picture has been significantly revised, much like with the Indus Valley.
Below is the careful, current scholarly view.
1. Where the “peaceful mercantile” idea came from
Early excavations (1990s–early 2000s, especially under Ruth Shady) emphasized:
No obvious weapons
No fortifications
No iconography of warfare
No warrior burials
Monumental architecture without defensive walls
Heavy reliance on trade between coastal fishing communities and inland agricultural centers
This led to the influential claim that Norte Chico was:
A peaceful, trade-based civilization lasting roughly 3000–1800 BCE
Sometimes framed as the “only pristine civilization without warfare.”
2. What we now know: why that view is too simple
A. Absence of evidence ≠ evidence of absence
Later reassessments point out:
Excavations focused on ceremonial centers, not defensive peripheries
Weapons made of wood, fiber, or stone preserve poorly
Warfare in early societies may not leave dramatic traces
So the claim of total peace became methodologically suspect.
3. Evidence for hierarchy and coercion
Even without warfare imagery, Norte Chico shows clear social hierarchy:
A. Monumental construction
Massive platform mounds
Sunken circular plazas
Labor mobilization at large scale
This implies:
Centralized authority capable of commanding labor, voluntarily or not.
B. Settlement hierarchy
Large ceremonial centers (Caral, Aspero)
Smaller dependent villages
This suggests:
Regional control, even if not militarized.
4. Violence: subtle but real evidence
Recent studies show:
Skeletal trauma consistent with interpersonal violence
Evidence of ritualized violence, possibly human sacrifice (still debated)
Defensive placement of some settlements in later phases
Nothing like later Moche or Inca warfare — but not zero violence.
5. Economy: mercantile, but not “market-based”
A. Trade was crucial
Yes — exchange networks were fundamental:
Fish protein from the coast
Cotton from inland valleys
Gourds, chili peppers, anchovies
Spondylus shells (later)
But trade was likely:
Redistributive, not free-market
Controlled by elites or ritual authorities
So “mercantile” in the modern sense is misleading.
6. Ideology over armies: power through ritual
What is distinctive about Norte Chico:
Authority expressed through monumentality and ritual
Music (flutes), plazas, calendrical gatherings
Cosmological coordination rather than conquest
This supports the idea of:
Ritual hegemonic power, not warrior kingship.
Comparable to:
Early Indus cities
Some Neolithic Near Eastern ritual centers
7. Duration: was it really 1,000 years of stability?
The civilization lasted roughly 1,200 years, but:
It was not static
Sites rose and fell
Regional shifts occurred
Later phases show more defensive behavior
So:
It was long-lived, but not a single unchanging peaceful order.
8. How scholars describe Norte Chico today
Most archaeologists now say:
✔ Early complex society without clear evidence of organized warfare
✔ Strong ritual and ideological control
✔ Centralized labor mobilization
✔ Exchange-based economy
✘ Not demonstrably pacifist
✘ Not egalitarian
✘ Not purely mercantile
9. Why the myth of “peaceful pristine civilization” persists
Because it:
Contrasts nicely with Old World war states
Fits a modern longing for nonviolent origins
Is rhetorically powerful
But archaeology increasingly resists such moralized framings.
10. One-sentence synthesis
Norte Chico / Caral was an early, long-lived civilization that relied heavily on exchange and ritual authority and shows little evidence of large-scale warfare, but it was neither demonstrably peaceful nor mercantile in a modern sense, and it clearly possessed hierarchy and coercive power.
If you’d like, we can next:
Compare Norte Chico vs Indus vs early Egypt
Ask why ritual authority precedes military states
Explore whether these societies represent a “pre-axial” mode of power
Your questions consistently circle an important theme: how early complexity forms without kings, armies, or overt violence — and where that model ultimately breaks down.
Some moderately entertaining tall tales about gigantic and truly monstrous snakes in South America. One of them a kilometer long?! And yes, space satellites see them. Are they rugous and squamous, as well?
Steve Bannon has something to say about the new pope. Apparently, Bannon served in the US navy with the future pope´s brother! His other comments are more interesting...
This article contains allegations that Prevost, the future Pope Leo XIV, mishandled sexual abuse cases in both Chicago and Peru. However, there is also an interview with a Mexican author who believes that Prevost *did* try to investigate the abuse allegations in Peru, indeed, that he was one of the few local bishops who tried to do so.
Not sure if that´s more re-assuring, tbh.
Otherwise, I´m intrigued by Prevost´s strong connection to Peru. He seems to have been a cleric in that particular South American nation for decades. Not sure if I find *that* very re-assuring either, but that´s me...
So the new pope is a pro-immigration White American based in Peru who is opposed to Trump and Vance (the latter being a Catholic)? Somebody is looking for trouble! Note also that Robert Francis Prevost´s papal name is Leo XIV, a nod to the imposing 19th century pope Leo XIII. And perhaps Leo the Great?
Good luck with that, boys. But sure, I suppose reading the reactions of "tradCaths" might be entertaining...
I can´t let this go. The final scenes from Werner Herzog´s films "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" and "Cobra Verde" are disturbing allegories of the end of the world. Or humanity. Or - at a minimum - modern civilization. Especially the last minute or so of the "Aguirre" climax, where the sun (God?) looks down on the pathetic raft of the mad conquistador (Earth? Homo sapiens?) as it´s invaded by monkeys in the middle of a completely indifferent wilderness. Note also the sharp contrast between his hubris and the actual state of affairs. What kind of vibes I got from the ending of "Cobra Verde", I won´t even tell you...
The entire film "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" is available on YouTube in an English-language version, but I can´t help linking to the two shorter clips above from the German version. The Aguirre character actually comes across as even crazier with Klaus Kinski´s original voice intact! The first clip shows Aguirre´s original descent into madness, while the second is the climactic ending of the film.
So I discovered "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" on YouTube. Werner Herzog´s 1972 quasi-historical drama, featuring Klaus Kinski, used to be something of a cult movie. I saw it on TV when very young, but only remember the opening scene and the ending. Now, I´ve seen it again. "Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes" (the original German title) comes across as a peculiar blend of B-movie and surrealist work of art. It´s *very* loosely based on the life of rogue conquistador (more rogue than usual) Lope de Aguirre and his debased exploits in search of the famed kingdom of El Dorado.
I have no idea what Herzog wanted to say with this production, but it does come across as yet another story of how civilized White men go crazy in the jungle. Except that in this case, the colonialists aren´t very civilized to begin with, enslaving people as they frantically search for gold or "converts" to their hypocritical Christian faith.
To some extent, the whole thing comes across as parody. A self-proclaimed "emperor" has a sumptuous meal in the wilderness, attended to by a Black slave, while bragging that his "kingdom" is already six times larger than Spain. Yet, he really just eats fruit from the jungle, drink river water and have no salt, his "empire" being no larger than a raft. All kinds of allegorical meanings can be imputed to this, obviously! It´s pretty obvious from the start that Aguirre´s expedition will end in failure.
More disturbing are the hints that Aguirre has an incestuous relation with his daughter, and his sudden descent into madness. (Bizarrely, the actor Klaus Kinski was half-mad in real life and was later accused of abusing one of his daugthers!) The idea of a hubristic conqueror who fancies himself being "the wrath of God" can also be interpreted in various allegorical ways. At one point, Aguirre claims to be able to control the birds. Is Aguirre modern or faustian man, who thinks he can rule over Nature, while actually being mercilessly destroyed by it? Note also that he is a traitor, leading a mutiny, while trying to reach an edenic city. Is he a fallen Adam or a Cain, trying to stage an inverted exodus to the promised land?
Or is it just a failed, borderline turkey movie? But then, that´s how much of world history also comes across...
“Aliens – striden om utomjordingarna” is a two-part series shown on
Swedish public service TV (SVT). It deals with the UFO phenomenon, or rather
the very human actors who believe or disbelieve in it. The narrator is an ethnologist
named Kalle Ström. Both episodes are rather slow-paced and could even be seen
as frankly boring, unless you are a UFO buff (or perhaps Skeptic ditto) with an
undying interest in all aspects of the problematique. An American covering exactly
the same material would have made it more dramatic, I´m sure!
“Aliens” contrasts two groups of people with entirely different
perspectives on UFOs. The organization UFO-Sverige is something as peculiar as the
world´s only Skeptic UFO-logy group. Its longtime leader Clas Svahn more or
less dominates the “serious” UFO discourse in Sweden. At the other end of the
spectrum are the true believers, who unironically try to contact the space
brothers through the CE-5 protocol, see evidence for ancient aliens everywhere during
a visit to Peru, or look for “portals” in the Swedish woods together with a masked
“whistle-blower”. Naturally, they see UFO-Sverige as “the gatekeepers” and suspect
that Svahn is an agent working for the CIA or Swedish military intelligence. Is
there really no middle ground in this dogfight? At one point, the staff at UFO-Sverige´s
archives at Norrköping seem to deny *any* kind of UFO-related conspiracies,
surely an absurd proposition! There simply must be “secular” conspiracies
around these topics, unless you have a very naïve view of, well, military intelligence.
See my reviews of John Michael Greer´s “The UFO Chronicles” and “Project Beta”
by Greg Bishop.
There are two twists in the second episode of “Aliens”. One is that
Ström actually observes a UFO himself, which creates quite a stir in the alternative
crowd. Svahn eventually debunks the alien craft as a bright star, Capella in
the constellation of Auriga. The other is that Svahn admits that he had a
dramatic UFO observation he has never been able to explain, featuring three
luminous x-shaped objects flying through the night sky. He speculates that
maybe UFOs are something unknown, strange but nevertheless terrestrial. Which
is probably true in some cases (think earth lights).
Ström eventually reaches the conclusion that the real difference between
the two camps isn´t really feeling versus facts, but rather whether or not you
want to live in an enchanted or disenchanted cosmos (although somebody might
argue that *is* feeling versus fact). After all, even some of the true
believers are looking for empirical facts: stone walls in Peru, portals in the
woods, or footage of strange objects in the sky. But they also suggest – quite explicitly
– that the official explanations bore them half to death! They are searching
for the daimonic, to borrow a term from Patrick Harpur. It´s therefore quite
ironic that one of the few people who truly encountered it, might have been the
skeptical Clas Svahn…
DNA studies supposedly confirms the new take on Easter Island, a kind of best blend of post-colonial political correctness and crypto-Hancockite pre-Columbian contact.
Or maybe not.
Note the critical remarks hidden away in the two last paragraphs! Did they test the wrong skeletons (all 15 of them)? Something tells me this controversy will continue for another seven decades or so...
So I
recently watched “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. I
reviewed it before, and I haven´t really changed my mind about the film. Sure,
it´s great fun if you´re into the Indiana Jones concept, no doubt about it. All
the usual plot elements are there, except ten times better (or worse)! Paranormal
archeological artefacts, extremely exaggerated stand-offs with the bad guys (or
situations in general), meetings with ancient spirit-beings and, yes, Indy´s
bad love affairs. The Nazis have been replaced by Communists, and Dr Jones works
with his son rather than his father, but these feel like logical changes since the
plot takes place during the Cold War rather than the 1930´s. The film contains
one major gaffe: Indiana says at one point that he wants to move to Leipzig to
teach, but at the time, this particular location was controlled by Communist
East Germany! Hardly a good hang-out for an American guy in a cowboy hat and a “I
like Ike” bumper sticker.
Fanboys of
Erich von Däniken or really insane alternative history scenarios might also appreciate
this flick, which often comes across as an extended episode of “Ancient Aliens”.
Indeed, the speculations of Indiana Jones and his long lost friend Oxley are
just as confused and absurd as those in “Ancient Aliens”. Indy supposedly learned
Quechua (a Peruvian Native language) while riding with Pancho Villa in Mexico, space
aliens marooned in the Amazon speak Mayan (a Central American Native language),
and what have you. Heck, it seems everyone in Peru is Mayan, LOL. There are
tie-ins to the Roswell UFO crash, the search for El Dorado, the Mitchell-Hedges
skull, elongated skulls, Nazca, the legend of Akakor, and God knows what else. Entertaining? Well, yes,
unless you think Hollywood films should be proper science education (or basic
geography)! Somewhat ironically, real archeologists *have* found a lost civilization
in the Amazon, although not nearly as dramatic as the one depicted in this production.
Last time I looked, they hadn´t found the Holy Grail or the Lost Ark, though.
The Communists
are actually quite fascinating. For starters, doesn´t their female commander
Irina Spalko reference “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers”? Probably not a
co-incidence. It´s also intriguing that “Stalin´s favorite” believes in the
paranormal quasi-religious scenario even more fervently than Indiana Jones
himself. I always suspected that all kinds of more exciting or
downright crazy ideas were pursued in Red Russia and its satellite states
behind the smokescreen of strictly scientific socialism. I mean, Erich von
Däniken´s books were legal in Leipzig, yes?
“Easter
Island Origins” is a very recent documentary about the mysterious Rapa Nui
(Easter Island) in the Pacific Ocean. The island is almost isolated from the
rest of the world but famous due to its large stone statues (“moai”), remnants
of a vanished high culture. But perhaps Easter Island isn´t really that
mysterious. Maybe its people and culture have simply been mystified by outsiders?
Judging by this documentary, the answer is “yes”…but some of the new research
on the island have led to sensational results anyhow.
Controversially,
Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl claimed that Easter Island had been inhabited
by migrants from South America. While this is disproven (the earliest settlers
on Rapa Nui were certainly from other parts of Polynesia), DNA research
suggests that there actually might be a connection between the island and the South
American mainland. The documentary is somewhat unclear on this point, but if I
understand it correctly, the idea is that the *Polynesians* sailed to South
America, rather than the other way around.
Genetic markers typical of the Zenú
people in Colombia have been found among the peoples of the Tuamotu Islands,
the Marquesas Islands, Mangareva and Easter Island. The idea seems to be that
the Polynesians first colonized the two former, then reached the South American
mainland, only to return home (presumably with Zenú wives and/or mixed race children).
Some of these people with mixed descent participated in the somewhat later
discovery and settlement of Mangareva and Easter Island, explaining why the Zenú
marker is found there too. The sculptures in “medieval” Colombia had a strong
resemblance to those found in the Marquesas, the Tuamotus, Mangareva and Rapa Nui
(although the moai at Easter Island are much larger in size).
The usual
Western picture of Easter Island is that of a downright irrational population who
cut down all trees and used up all rock (which could be used as fertilizer) in
a vain and manic pursuit of building larger and larger statues. War and
civilizational collapse promptly followed, and when the Europeans arrived, the
native Polynesians had already forgot their great traditions, lived in caves
and drank sea water.
“Easter Island Origins” contain interviews with
archeologists who deny this traditional picture. They believe that the
population of the island was always relatively small (and hence couldn´t
dramatically “collapse” in the first place), that there is no evidence of
warfare, nor of settlements being abandoned by people taking to the hills. There
*is* evidence of wide-spread deforestation, but this was due to rats, which lacked
natural enemies and hence proliferated en masse, consuming the seeds of the trees
in the process.
The real (human) population collapse took place after the arrival
of the European colonists, when various diseases to which the natives lacked
immunity killed off most of the population. *This* led to the great statues
being abandoned or destroyed during the 19th century. Easter Island
was also attacked by slave-raiders from Peru. The handful of survivors who were
able to return to the island carried smallpox with them and infected the rest
of the population. At its lowest, the native population was only 40 people!
Today, it´s back around 3000, approximately the same number as before Western
colonialism. The island has been controlled by Chile since 1888.
It´s a
tragic story of a people that actually reached the American mainland centuries
before Columbus made a landfall in the Caribbean…
This stuff is still making the rounds in the media and the alternative milieu. In 2017, some Latin American UFO-logists claimed to have obtained a number of mysterious mummies from the Nazca desert in Peru. The mummies were - surprise - of alien origin. As in extraterrestrial. A truly sensational claim, this one! In 2023, two of the supposed aliens were shown before the Mexican parliament during a hearing on the UFO problematique. And just the other day, there was apparently a press conference on the topic in Hollywood of all places. According to the hype, a "catastrophic disclosure" was going to happen at the presser. So how come we haven´t heard anything yet?
The first clip above is an uncommitted but relatively sympathetic look at these extreme claims from the YouTube channel INCREDIBLE HISTORY. It features interviews with the main players, some of them made on location in Peru. It should be noted that the Peruvian authorities have always opposed the UFO-logist claims and even attempted to confiscate the "mummies".
The next three clips are Russian (!) but with English voice-overs. Apparently, a group of Russian skeptics analyzed footage (including X-ray scans) of the alleged mummies already in 2022 and came to the conclusion that it´s a gigantic hoax.
The most authentic-looking specimen, nicknamed Maria, is a real (human) mummy from the ancient Nazca culture, but has been tampered with to make it look more "alien". The ET-like figures shown to the Mexican Congress are assemblages of human and animal bones, and make no anatomical sense whatsoever. The DNA tests are inconclusive, but they do show traces of Latin American human DNA and ungulate ditto, perhaps from llamas. Which is at least compatible with the hoax explanation.
I´m not surprised. American contactee Steven Greer promoted an "alien skeleton" from Chile already in 2013. This seems to be the same kind of story, but on a much bigger scale. May I guess that Nazca-UFO stuff will be promoted by somebody somewhere still around 2040?
I´ve heard of the Pachamama, but never the Sachamama. Any connection? Note the claims that this is an actual unknown animal! Rather than, say, a very angry nature spirit come to life...
