October 24, 2024 • 40 mins
Is a ghost town ever really empty? In this episode, Ayden shares the haunting history of Misnébalam, a ghost town in Mexico.
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Want to share your own creepy story, picture, or recording? Leave a 5 star review with your story attached, email Ayden at sustopodcast@gmail.com, DM on social media, or visit SustoPodcast.com to be shared on the show!
Sign up for Patreon here!
Want to hear your story on Susto? Fill out the Letters From the Beyond form or visit SustoPodcast.com to be shared on the show!
Become a Patron here! Subscribe to Susto's YouTube channel!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
A girl friends, it's me Adrian or Aiden. Either way,
I am still your host and you that's right, you
are still listening to Sustal, the podcast of ooky, spooky
scary stories centered on paranormal folklore from Latin American cultures.
Welcome back, Thank you for joining me once again around
(00:42):
the campfire, the cauldron, whatever you will, a fire receptacle,
and if this is your first time, welcome, thank you
so much for being here. I promise we will not
we don't curse, and we don't hex within this circle.
This is a safe coven for you all. Halloween season
is I haven't been as active on Instagram and TikTok
(01:05):
because let me tell you something. I think I said
it last episode. I was preparing for this month to
be that video of Lady Gaga saying bus club, plane club,
another club, no sleep. Literally that has been me this
whole month. I am loving it. You know. Unfortunately I
do have unfortunately, but not really, I do have a
full time job, so you know, it's all just one
(01:27):
big balancing act. I'm just I am merely a clown
juggling for you all, and I hope that you are
entertained and you are enjoying it because I mean, I'm
having a pretty good time, even though I'm tired, i
am run down, ran through and dusty. I am having
a great time, I promise you, but I am. I
want to lead by example. I am taking moments to
(01:48):
take care of myself. So I will be posting photos
in anything that I've gathered over this lot these last
few weeks from the events that I've been at. Again,
you can follow on social media at Soostal podcast to
see where I've been where I'm going. So, speaking of
the next few events that I have coming up is
Phantom Fest at Sagebrush here in Austin, Texas on October
(02:09):
twenty seventh. That's a two day event, but like I
said earlier, I'm taking moments to care for myself. So
it's happening on the twenty sixth and the twenty seventh,
but I will be there on the twenty seventh tabling,
selling merch and also doing a live collaborative show with
my paranormal Buddhas. And then after that, on October thirty first,
(02:30):
I will be sitting on a panel at the Kentucky
Folk Life Program. They didn't know we receieds event that
is an online virtual event. It's free to attend. You
can go ahead and again just follow me on socials
to get all the information for that. November second, I
will be at mex American. This is the second year
in a row. I will be with them, free to attend.
(02:50):
That's an amazing event. If you are into anything storytelling, art,
comic books, anything like that from the Latin American perspective,
make sure to go check out mex American. I will
be tabling there and I will be moderating a panel
of spooky creators that are going to be there, so
I highly suggest checking that out. And then one more
after that, I will be at the Critical Mystery Studies
(03:13):
Symposium at the University of New Mexico, So if you're
in New Mexico, come out check it out. I will
be posting that information online. That's November eighteenth and nineteenth.
I believe it's free and open to the public, but
again you can see that when I post it online.
So very exciting. I'm going all the way too. I'm
taking SUSTL all the way to New Mexico. So thank
you so much to everyone who has inviting me to
(03:35):
these events and listen I say this all the time.
For me, Spooky season is three six five. I'm a
three six five party gooul. The events, the gatherings, they
don't have to stop at the end of October. You
know me, we can do this anytime. You all reach
out to me. If you see something you think that
I should be a part of, or you think, hey,
I think Aiden would have fun here, or Aiden could
(03:57):
do something here, send it my way and me their way.
Let's make it happen. I will say a lot of
these events happen because people have seen Susto and they're like, oh,
actually I know these people, or I work with these people,
or they send it to me and then I reach
out to them. So it really really does help when
you all reach out that way. Speaking of reaching out
(04:18):
and working with other people, I am on or have
been on a few other shows. You can hear me
on the Floaties for Krakens podcast on look at Ora Radio.
Upcoming will be Queer Town. I think this is a
little early, so I hope I'm not spoiling this for them,
but that will be out soon and there may be
more to come. I may or may not have recorded things.
(04:39):
I'm just waiting on finding out whether or not I
made the cut. You know what I mean. That's showbiz.
You know you never know if you're gonna make the cut,
Am I right? So fingers crossed will see there will
be more, And like I said, I'm always open and
willing to collaborate. I play well with others, Okay, I
promise I don't possess everyone I come across, just only
a few people. Anyway. Those are all the updates. Thank
(05:01):
you again so much for being here. As always, if
you have your own scary story that you would like
me to share on a Letters from the Beyond episode,
you already know how to do that DM on social media,
email me, visit my website, five star review on Apple,
in the comments on Spotify, and it doesn't have to
be a written story only. You can also send a video, audio, recording,
(05:22):
photo and then I'll post those on these socials. Before
we go into this story, I want to thank my
research assistant and now writer. You have been promoted, Jeffrey Doyle.
Thank you so much. He put this episode together wow
and honestly saved my life because, like I said, I
have been running around like a headless horseman this whole
(05:43):
month and he came in saved the day. So huge
shout out to Jeffrey. Everybody give him a round of applause.
Please rite us thunderous roaring applause. And before we get
into the story, I do just want to let people
know this story contains mentions of sexual abuse and suicide.
So again, one more time listener discretion advised. With that
(06:04):
being said, we are going to listen to the story
of the ghost town of miss Nebalam, Mexico. In the
(06:28):
dry scrub forests of northern Yucatan. In a land spotted
with sonotes, you'll find many historic asciendas. One of them
was abandoned and has become known for ghost activity. Asienda
mis Nebalam Mayan words for Jaguartel was a small town
(06:48):
set up to grow and harvest hennigan, a type of agavi.
The collection of buildings included the main acienda house, smaller
workers buildings, and a Catholic church. The hacienda, that would
eventually grow to house one hundred seventy people, was set
up by Fidenzio Marguez in nineteen hundred to take advantage
(07:09):
of a boom in the popularity of Hennikan in the Yucathon.
This plant had been grown by the Maya people for
thousands of years and became very profitable for Mexican settlers
in the region. It could be crafted into extremely strong
ropes and fibers, so it was valuable for the Mexican
government and became an export industry to other countries. Because
(07:33):
the plant grows so well in the Yucathon, many aciendas
were set up to grow the crop, similar to plantation
monocultures around cotton in the United States, a practice in
which crop growers plant only one species in a field.
With the boom in the economy, there was also a
boom in crime. Many of these asciendas, Misene Balam included
(07:56):
were far off of the main highways, making it easy
to sneak upon and attack unsuspecting people. In October nineteen
twenty one, Fidenzio, his son, and a worker were ambushed
on one of the back roads traveling back to their hacienda.
The attackers left them for dead and fled after stealing
(08:17):
their belongings. The three travelers survived the initial attack and
were able to return to the hacienda. Many reported that
Fidenzio died upon returning to mis Nebalam. Ultimately, his family
fled their home out of grief and fear, and left
the foremen in charge of the operation to continue growing
(08:38):
the hen again. Many reported seeing Fidenzio after his death,
walking the grounds, keeping an eye on his land. His
spirit was unable to rest as the operation of the
hacienda was no longer up to his standard. Under the
foreman's control, Hassienda mis Nebalam took a dark, dark turn.
(09:01):
The foreman, drunk with his new power, was abusive and
controlling of the people who lived and worked there. One resident,
a nine year old boy named Julian often called Juliancito,
received the worst of the abuse. After being assaulted and
violated by the foremen, Julian found the courage to go
(09:24):
to the priest of the hacienda and report what was happening.
The priest, for fear of angering the foremen and leaving
his good graces, instructed Julian to never tell anyone about
what was happening. With no escape from the abuse, Julian
was desperate to make it end. That night, the young
Juliancito hung himself from a tree in the main courtyard
(09:47):
of the Haussienda it is said the boy's soul, unable
to rest from the suffering he lived through, joined Fidencio
in walking the grounds of the Hussienda. Visitors report seeing
the young boy's ghost at night in the main courtyard,
playing with a ball. Others say they can hear the
laughter of a child when no child is nearby. Unfortunately,
(10:11):
Juliancito would not be the last ghost to haunt the grounds.
The priest, who Juliancito confided in, was never able to
recover from the guilt of what happened. He continued to
regret his failure as a leader in the faith and
a protector of the community until his death. His soul
can still be seen walking the grounds of the church
(10:34):
and nearby buildings, now appearing in solid black. The priest
haunts the grounds, often referred to as the Black Monk.
When his silhouette appears, people report hearing strange cries and
unexplained noises. As the popularity of Hennigan dwindled in favor
of artificial materials, the population of Nisena Balam shrunk as well.
(10:59):
People stople traveling to the Assienda and the residents grew
more and more fearful of the spirits that inhabited Misnambalam.
By two thousand and five, the hacienda was completely abandoned,
with no residence left. Nature began to take over. Many
of the buildings, once bustling with people, now have plants
(11:20):
growing through their foundations. People from the nearby city of
Medida now tore the ghost town. Some even use the
ruins for recreational fun Still, others have taken note of
the presence of spirits and have chosen to start using
the grounds for rituals and religious practices. Some of these
(11:40):
are meant to bring peace to the ghosts, like an
altar to Juliansito, which regularly has fresh flowers. Others are
presumed to be more nefarious, with ruins, candles, and other
tools left behind that are often associated with religious cults
that seek to do harm. This is not the end
(12:01):
of the story for meis Balam, though, a group of
indigenous Mayan people seeking to obtain protected land have claimed
mes Balam as property developers push them out of their
homes close to the highway. The relative isolation of meis
ne Balam offers them a place to live in peace.
(12:21):
Perhaps they will be able to bring balance back to
the lands of meis ne Balam after one hundred years
of suffering. Welcome back, Ghoul friends. Thank you again so
(12:46):
much to my research assistant and editor and a writer.
I guess now he really took initiative. Should I keep
him y'all? Jeffrey Doyle, thank you so much for helping
me put this episode together, and I thank you all
for listening to that. So let's divint to some of
these sources. The first one we have here is from
a website called Yukatan Today dot com and this is
(13:07):
It looks like a touristy kind of website, but there's
also some really good information here. This is published in
twenty twenty three September. It's titled connect with the Great
Beyond in mis Nevalam and they're kind of just letting
people know again about miss Nevalam. And this says, if
you're anything like me, you're likely counting down the days
until October and November. That's us right here, eagerly anticipating
(13:28):
the festivities of Hana Bisan. Oh, what's that Kanna Bisan
or Day of the Dead altars in Yukatan. I guess
that is how they identify that or it's like similar
to that. That's pretty interesting. It says the right way
to set up a finaloes or Hana Bistan or Yukat
Khan Day of the Dead altar may vary greatly within
this date, depending on the region, each family's tradition, and
(13:50):
several other factors. In fact, it's easier to talk about
what doesn't go on to hana Bisan alter than it
is about what does you know? We're we're always it's
always a school day here on Susto. Okay, So again
this continues. That's one of the things I celebrate. It's
the perfect opportunity to share traditions with family. Honor are departed,
and why not get a few scares along the way.
(14:12):
Who wrote this? Where is the name of the author here?
Because I feel like this person gets it? Okay? Author
is it Ahina Zumaraga. Thank you Regina for posting this.
Communicologists specializing food and product photography amazing. So this continues.
Just eighteen kilometers away from Medida, you'll find the perfect
(14:32):
place to immerse yourself in the mystery and nostalgia of
these dates. Step out of your routine with a spine
chilling visit to Misene Balam, a well known ghost town
in Yukatan, located within the jurisdiction of Santa Maria. Yeshe
about halfway between Medida and Progresso. Are you familiar with
the history of this unique place, Well now we are, so.
(14:53):
As said, this goes on to talk about how people
tore it. But there's something else in here that I
wanted to read. It says it's the legends s rounding
Julian Tito that have a specially attracted supernatural enthusiasts to
miss Nee Balam. It turns out that mes Nee Balam
and its long abandoned buildings have been a popular destination
for both Airsoft and paintball players. So when I mentioned
(15:13):
recreational fun in the story, people really use these places
for recreational fun. Again, Airsoft's Paintball who occasionally record videos
of their games. One of these recordings ended up being
widely shared because behind the action it was possible to
make out the figure of a boy, who, of course
was associated with the legend of Juliancito. I want to say.
(15:35):
Jeffrey said that he tried looking for this video and
he could not find it. Also, it's not tagged or
hyperlinked in this article, whereas several other things are so
I think maybe also Rehina also had a hard time
finding that video. So if anybody sees that out there,
send it to me. I'm going to try really hard
to find it, and if I do find it, it'll
be on the social post for this episode, this continues.
(15:56):
Unlike the one Fidanzio Marquez, whose existence is well documented,
there no reliable records of hu Leancito's life or death.
As for then Fidenzioji Marquez, he actually died of natural
causes in nineteen forty. The events of nineteen twenty one,
which aren't easy to independently verify, would have been only
a failed attempt on his life, So it's possible that
(16:16):
he was actually attacked on the road. But according to documents,
he died of natural causes. He was not ambushed and
murdered as legend says. But as we know many times
these legends does kind of take a life of their
own and they run amuck. This says. The truth of
the matter is that the population of Meseni Balam dwindled
until it was completely abandoned in two thousand and five,
(16:38):
which is very recent. Rumors attribute this event to the
paranormal occurrences, although it's very likely that it was due
to the water shortage in the region. Very interesting, so
this article kind of immediately demystifies what was happening with that.
So it's a ghost town, yes, by definition, but is
it a ghost town? You see what I'm saying, You
(16:59):
hear what I'm seeing, you know. Yeah, So there's a
very logical explanation as to why it is a ghost
town now, but there's still so much legend that surrounds
it for whatever reason. The next source that we have
here is from pinkplankton dot com. It's titled Meisnevalam a
haunted ghost town in Mexico's Yukatan Peninsula. And this has
(17:20):
a ton of amazing pictures of these now ruins. I
guess you could say, wow, this place. You can tell
was probably very beautiful in its heyday. There's a short
written entry here, but this is mainly photos, so huge
shout out. I can see they have an Instagram here.
I will be tagging them in those photos as well,
but just that I have it here on the episode,
(17:42):
it's pink Underscore Plankton on Instagram. They wrote here Mesnevalam
is an abandoned ghost town near Medida, Mexico. It was
inhabited from around nineteen ten to two thousand and five.
It was once a lively little town do the production
of Hennigan, a plant used to extract fibers and create textiles.
In nineteen twenty one, the head of Hennigan production, though
(18:03):
Fidencio Ji Marquez, was attacked and murdered. Again, we see
that murdered, and we just learned that that is not
necessarily true, possibly an attempt on his life, but they
did not succeed. This continues. It is said that since then,
ghosts and other paranormal activity began to scare the residents
so much that in two thousand and five they left
the town for good. I really want to know what
(18:26):
the cherry on top, the straw that broke the camel's back,
the final straw, whatever. I just want to know what
that last thing was that made people decide, Okay, we
got to get out of here. There's too much going
on to spooky, to scarey no good. This continues. The
Hennegan industry was booming at the time, but eventually fell
(18:46):
due to the invention of more cost effective synthetic materials.
This probably had something to do with the town's abandonment
as well, but a wander around the pool and courtyard
area shows what a thriving town this once was. You
can find mis Ne Balam on Google Maps. Here are
some photos I took in February twenty twenty one. Also
(19:07):
this website. The tagline says travel and Festival Media by
Jessica Devnani. So, Jessica, thank you so much for these
beautiful pictures. I will be tagging you on the social post.
These are really cool. This also kind of reminds me
of if y'all have ever heard me talk about that
abandoned building or mansion in Monte Alto, Texas, which is
(19:28):
right next to where I grew up. These pictures kind
of give me that vibe. It kind of looks like this,
like there's a lot of just exposed foundation, just like
open walls, open doorways with like no internal structure, probably
very dangerous to venture into. And of course there's tons
of graffiti all over the place. There is like vines
and grass growing up the walls of these stained graffitied buildings.
(19:51):
It looks really cool. Just to give you a visual
description now and you'll see it again on the social
media post. Wow, those pictures are amazing. The next source
that we have is from a website, the Yukathon Times
dot com and this is titled this is the Story
behind meis Nevalam, The Ghost Town of Yukathon by Sophia Navado.
(20:12):
This is published in June twenty twenty three, so a
couple months ago, basically, really and here it's a it's
a pretty short write up and they're just, you know,
basically saying everything that we've covered again. Jeffrey did a
really great job of using all of these sources to
put that story together. It has descriptions of Julian and
the monks stories. Here it says there are two versions
(20:33):
of the complete abandonment of meis Nevalam. The first one
suggests that a water shortage forced the inhabitants to migrate
to more populated areas. The second and more well known
version is attributed to the constant paranormal events that occurred there.
One of the stories that sparked the legends of paranormal
events dates back to nineteen twenty one, when the owner
(20:56):
of the hacienda survived a serious assassination attempt his way
to San Ignacio. Here we go they they called it
what it was, ultimately an assassination attempt. Luckily, his son
was traveling with him and managed to bring him back
to Medila. However, the culprits of the attack mysteriously disappeared
and were never found. After that incident's unusual events began
(21:18):
to occur, and the most popular ones involve a child
son of one of the workers, and a monk. Okay,
here's my now, I just how new theory just hit me?
I had that's a raven vision. Here's my new theory
aka a rumor. And we'll see if this takes. It's
a life of its own for this legend. So what
if imagine this they because this says that the culprits
(21:39):
of the attack mysteriously disappeared. What if it wasn't so mysterious.
And after they attacked Fidenzio Marguez, he was like, actually,
absolutely not. You don't try to kill me and get
away with it, and he had them killed, and so
then they followed them back to the hacienda and started
haunting it. What if that's where some of this paranormal
(22:01):
activity is coming from. Tell everybody that that is the truth.
Now just kidding. Okay, this continues. It breaks down those
two hauntings if you will. It has Julian's first. It says,
according to the legend, Julian was a nine year old
boy and the son of one of the hacienda workers.
I'm going to correct some of the verbige here that
says he died by suicide after hanging himself from a
(22:23):
tree after being violated by one of the laborers. People.
So this is one of the laborers, not the foreman.
So again, because Fidenzio was not successfully murdered, then I
guess the story of the foreman is out right. But
now the legend of Julian switches to it wasn't the
foreman that took over after Fidensio's death, because he didn't die.
It was one of the other laborers on the ascienda.
(22:45):
This continues. People who have visited the place have reported
sidings and cries, which is why an altar has been
set up for Julian. Visitors bring him flowers and sweets
in order to help his soul rest in peace. That
is so tragic and so oh so sad. The next
one here is the story of the monk, and this
says the true story of the monk is unknown. However,
(23:08):
horror media outlets have captured images of the figure of
a black dressed monk appearing on top of the buildings
that used to serve as a church, usually in the
early hours of the morning. Laughter, wandering silhouettes, cries, and
strange noises emanating from the abandoned buildings have also been
reported in the area. Okay, again, so there's no pictures
(23:30):
with this one, but I am going to try and
find pictures of the monk to post online because that
is scary. I don't know what it is when you
take iconography or if you imagine something that belongs in
the church or is associated with the church and you
turn it into its haunting, it's spooky. It's like kids,
(23:50):
it's like seeing children ghosts. That's extra unsettling for some reason.
And so that gives me the same vibe as the monk.
The next source that we have here is for good
old Atlas obscura dot com. If anybody knows someone from
Atlas Obscura, I would love to. I feel like they're
like to me because of how much I've been able
to find on them. They give me like the spooky
(24:11):
national geographic, but this is their entry on mes Nevalam, Mexico.
According to legend, this hacienda was abandoned because of a curse,
so that's different. A curse is different than a haunting.
This says the ascienda of meis Nebalam, along with its
surrounding abandoned village, is the only ghost town in the
state of Yugatan. And this was published in twenty twenty two,
(24:36):
so as recent as two years ago. This is saying
this was the only ghost town in the state of Yugatan.
Located at the first turnoff of kilometer twenty one of
the Media Progdesso Highway, this unique ascienda or estate was
built in the early twentieth century and inhabited for about
one hundred years before being abandoned around twenty ten, which
(24:56):
we've seen from other reports is two thousand and five.
Miss Nevalam was one. It's an important site for the
production of en again, a nagavid plant that is often
turned into rope. At its peak, more than one hundred
and fifty people lived in and around the estate, largely
workers and their families. This says locals say that miss
ne Baalam ended up emptied due to multiple paranormal phenomena,
(25:17):
though a shrinking demand for Hennegen and the acienda falling
into disrepair likely played a significant role, again demystifying those rumors.
This continues according to people who have visited it. It
seems to be stopped in time, which it can be
assured is totally true. Vegetation has taken over the place
and time has damaged the structures, making them spooker. The
(25:41):
place is the victim of multiple religious cults, which is
reflected in the ruins on the walls and also in
the remains of candles and some instruments for religious purposes.
But don't worry, it's not all strange cults. The place
is often used for events such as airsoft and Gotcha battles.
This says no before you go. The place is isolated,
(26:01):
so it is advisable to bring enough water and materials. Also,
take into account that it is an area without cell
phone coverage, so be careful in case of an emergency.
You know, I was about to say, Oh, it would
be fun to go visit this place. No, the one
thing I cannot do without is cell phone. Service. And
that's not because I am an iPad baby and I
(26:21):
need to hunch my back over and stare at my
screen every second of the day, which is also kind
of true. Mind your business. But what if something happens
there's no one to call, not even again. Oh, I'm
more scared of the living than the dead. What if
some deranged person, some sinister evil person tries to attack,
like those criminals that tried to attack Pu Dance, you
(26:42):
Marchuez show up and they try to you know, kill me,
and I have no cell phone service to call for
help or if someone gets injured or you get trapped whatever,
you know, that's just that is a no for me.
So I mean, I guess I could be convinced, you know,
if we went with a big enough group, but that is, yeah,
the cell phone thing. I need to be able to
call for help. This continues. Also note that the road
(27:03):
is dirt, so you have to be very careful. It
is advisable to go on one of the regular expeditions.
Oh that's right, they do tours. Okay, perfect to go
on one of the regular expeditions, although you can also
visit on your own as long as you ask permission.
From the caretaker to enter the hacienda. It is not
necessary to ask permission to explore the village since it
is outside the area of private property. Yeah. I would
(27:26):
love to do. Okay, yeah, one of the tours I
could do, Like I said, if it's a big enough group,
but also someone who knows the area. I'm sure they
have radios versus cell phones that they can use in
case of emergencies. But yeah, that's really cool. So this
entry it says that this was published in twenty twenty two,
added by the Atlas Obscura user rad Lizard. Rad Lizard,
(27:48):
thank you so much for putting this in. I definitely
want to go the last thing that I have here,
and I will find a way to post the link.
I could probably post the link in the descriptions, the
description or the notes of this episode, but I'll also
post it directly to Patreon for Patreon subscribers, which also
if you are a Patreon subscriber at the mid to
(28:10):
higher tiers, then you get access to the Susto Google
docs with direct links to all of these sources where
I will also be posting this video. But again this
says this is a video. It's just exploring a ghost town.
This was uploaded by Sugar Free Traveler two years ago
and they posted a video I think of one of
the tours. They said, while in Yukatan, I decided to
join a local tour company. There you go Mochilero's Yugatan
(28:34):
on a tour of an old, abandoned ghost town and
the Acienda and mes Nevalam Yugatan. Join me on this
episode as we explore the abandoned ghost town of meis
Nebalam at night, which includes a few houses and a church.
So in case you're interested in seeing what that tour
may look like. It's very dark. I'm scrolling through it.
It looks very creepy, very demonic, not like these other tours. Yeah,
(28:57):
that would definitely be something that I would love to do. Okay,
there there are two more actually, So this one is
from It looks like a website called Indignacion dot org
dot Mexico. This is an entry. It says researchers present
amicus curie supporting the right of the Union of Residents
of Chablecal to guard the forest. This says researchers from
fifteen Latin American countries embraced the struggle of the union
(29:20):
of Chablecal inhabitants. They claim that the inhabitants have the
legitimate right to continue being a Mayan people and to
protect their mountains. The mentions that it says here of
mis Nevalam, it says, I'm skipping ahead. But this says
the annoyance increased when they began to sell the common
use forests, that is, those that were for the use
and enjoyment of the entire town, not just the ahdatarios. Quote.
(29:42):
Telbecal is an indigenous town and the ancestral forests have
been and continue to be part of our territory end quote.
The document states this reflection encouraged them to take possession
in twenty fourteen when they beganned their struggle of the
mes Neebalam forests, which is made up of two hundred
and eighty six hect which the inhabitants have described as
quote the last corner of the ancestral territory of Chablikal. And.
(30:06):
A hectare is a metric unit of area equal to
a square with one hundred meters sides that is ten
thousand square meters, and is primarily used in the measurement
of land. Also, I probably edited that out, but the
first time I read it, I read it as ektadas.
I don't know if that happens to anybody else who
is bilingual, but you dip into the other language sometimes
(30:28):
this continues. A final mention of Mesnabalam says the importance
of this mountain is that it is a space considered
sacred due to the presence of Sennotees and pre Hispanic mounds.
In twenty eighteen, they held a ceremony at the foot
of the Nohoch Mule or main mound, to give thanks
to the fight. The description of the ceremony can be
seen in the document. Likewise, meis Nee Balam is also
(30:50):
important since its young custodians consider it a kind of
ecological reserve with a diversity of plants, as we spoke
about earlier, and is all over those pictures again it
is covered in plant life. This says the kinds of
plants is medicinal, forestry, timber uses, et cetera. So there
are tons of ways to use this plant life, this
(31:12):
nature that's taken over and native animals such as the yuya,
the deer, the wild turkey, among others. So definitely this
place needs people that will make it sustainable okay. And
the final source here is a chapter from a book.
The chapter is Invisible Maya Communities, Indigenous Territory and the
Nation State in the Yucatan by Josse and heel Goyokku,
(31:36):
translated by Ellen Jones. And this is in the book
Beyond Mestizach Contemporary Debates on Race in Mexico, published in
twenty twenty four, a while very very recent. I'm going
to read some just some of this that mentions mis
nevalam So. This section in this chapter says defending territory
in the old northeastern Hennigan producing region. Chable Gal, as
we mentioned earlier, is a Maya community located in the
(31:59):
northern part of the municipality of Medida, which has the
administrative status of precinct. Since nineteen ninety, property developers have
had their eye on its land with a view to
building luxury residential developments and shopping centers. Great because we
need another Dave Mbusters. The area has recently acquired commercial
(32:19):
value because it is near the highway connecting the state
capital to the port of Progresso. As a result, the
current Ehilo commissioners working hand in hand with officials from
instructions like the Agrarian Mbudsman and the National Agrarian Registry,
have sold off much of Chablikao's land. In order to
reclaim their right to the territory, the community set up
(32:40):
the Chablikaal Residents Union in twenty fourteen. Since the establishment
of the union, residents have reclaimed Mysenevalam lands, which take
their name from an old Hennigan producing acienda. So there's
that one. This next part says the agro industrial production
of Hennigan led to the Maya people living in the
esciendas and surrounding villae gradually leaving corn farming behind and
(33:02):
instead taking up grueling jobs on Hennagen farms, fenced offf
areas in need of a permanent labor force. In spite
of this, the agavet monoculture did not wipe out either
the meaf Ba workers or the scrubland, as maps of
the mes Nebelam macienda dating back to Porfirio d. S's
time clearly illustrate. For this reason. When the revolutionary regime
began to distribute land after the collapse of the Porfirato,
(33:25):
both scrubland and Hennigan farms passed into the possession of
Maya workers. Oh wow, this is really cool. There is
a detailed map of the meis Nevala macienda. This is
credited to Carlos Miramon, Yucatan in nineteen o two. The
area labeled Monte indicates that the scrublands were not destroyed,
or at least not entirely. Oh, I am saving this picture.
(33:48):
That is so cool. This whole chapter, Like it says
in the beginning, it's talking about indigenous territory. I guess
the struggle for claiming or reclaiming lands just land grabs
in role to end it on such a high positive note, right,
(34:16):
Welcome back, gool friends. Thank you once again for joining
me for another episode of Sustal. Once again, I have
several events coming up. Those are the Phantom Fest, the
Kentucky Folk Life Program. They didn't know we receives mechs
American Critical Mysteries Study Symposium. Again. Follow my socials at
Sostal podcast and every platform for any and all updates
(34:38):
on the show. If you know of any events that
you think that I should be present at, please send
my information to the event organizers or send the events
to me. I am always open to showing up having
a good old spooky time, or even just to show
up show face and table and let people know about
Sustal again. You can listen to me on other episodes.
You can catch me on the EU Floaties, Kraken's Show,
(35:00):
look at Dot Radio, Queertown, and possibly some other ones.
I'm still confirming they're going to be there once again.
If you have your own scary story to share with me,
you can do so by sending it via DM five
star review on Apple, comment on Spotify, my website. You
can also if you get catch full Moon rain water
if you throw it over your left shoulder and then
(35:21):
you sprinkle ashes from incense over it counterclockwise and you
say my name three times, you say the story into
the puddle of water and I'll it'll come to me
in an awaking dream. Aside from that, it can also
be a photo video recording. Anything you think that is
spooky that I should share. I will do it either
story these letters from Beyond episode or on a social
(35:44):
media Before I give a huge, big thank you shout
out to patrons, I do want to let you all
know that there are changes happening with Patreon. So Patreon
is having people switch the way that they bill. Apple
is being Apple and they are trying to get more money,
so they are changing the way that they bill people.
(36:06):
So there is a workaround. If you sign up for
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Patreon app, it's going to force you to pay I
think on like the day that you signed up. I'm
not exactly sure. The way that I have it now
is everyone gets charged the first of the month. But
with Apple, if you sign up an app, I think
(36:27):
you have to pay the day you get billed, the
day that you sign up for And also they are
scraping a whopping thirty percent off the top for themselves
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needed starcasm. But Patreon does not take nearly that much.
I think what I heard the Yosan Mala from Lokatoa
Radio say on one of the recent episodes, Patreon only
(36:48):
takes about eight percent, which is a lot nicer to
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heard this from the Yosaan Mala and Lokatoa. The workaround is,
if you want to sign up to be a Patreon subscriber,
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you can sign up on the actual Patreon website, meaning
(37:08):
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up through the app, they're making you pay with like
your phone if you're on Apple, But after you sign up,
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just the signing up portion that's weird. And if you
(37:30):
don't care about any of this, that is also fine.
You can visit patreon dot com slash Susto podcast. Either way.
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(37:53):
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(38:15):
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thank you notes, surprise merchandise, gifts, and giveaways. Speaking of giveaways,
(38:39):
if you've made it all the way to this episode,
I have one final giveaway for the month of October.
If you are a Patreon subscriber, I'm giving away and
I will post this online. I'm giving away the Owala
Halloween color drop bottle. It is a glow in the
dark bottle with ghosts all over it. It is so cute.
(39:00):
I am obsessed with it. Of course, I got myself one,
but I got a second one to give away to
Patreon subscribers. So this is going to be a giveaway
for Patreon subscribers at any paid level, so starting from
three dollars up. If you're a Patreon subscriber, I'm giving
away this bottle. I'm gonna go ahead and do this
giveaway until it's gonna be a quick one until Monday
the twenty eighth. I will pick someone. I will probably
(39:22):
have already posted about this online so you can find
that on there. And yeah, I'm gonna give it away
to one lucky winner, someone who is a Patreon paid subscriber.
So thank you for listening all the way to the
end of the episode. And if not, then maybe you
saw this on social media. Either way, thank you so
much for listening. I hope that you had a fun
time with me today. I will talk to you in
(39:44):
the next one. Until then, no Tausts. Bye.
A girl friends, it's me Adrian or Aiden. Either way,
I am still your host and you that's right, you
are still listening to Sustal, the podcast of ooky, spooky
scary stories centered on paranormal folklore from Latin American cultures.
Welcome back, Thank you for joining me once again around
(00:42):
the campfire, the cauldron, whatever you will, a fire receptacle,
and if this is your first time, welcome, thank you
so much for being here. I promise we will not
we don't curse, and we don't hex within this circle.
This is a safe coven for you all. Halloween season
is I haven't been as active on Instagram and TikTok
(01:05):
because let me tell you something. I think I said
it last episode. I was preparing for this month to
be that video of Lady Gaga saying bus club, plane club,
another club, no sleep. Literally that has been me this
whole month. I am loving it. You know. Unfortunately I
do have unfortunately, but not really, I do have a
full time job, so you know, it's all just one
(01:27):
big balancing act. I'm just I am merely a clown
juggling for you all, and I hope that you are
entertained and you are enjoying it because I mean, I'm
having a pretty good time, even though I'm tired, i
am run down, ran through and dusty. I am having
a great time, I promise you, but I am. I
want to lead by example. I am taking moments to
(01:48):
take care of myself. So I will be posting photos
in anything that I've gathered over this lot these last
few weeks from the events that I've been at. Again,
you can follow on social media at Soostal podcast to
see where I've been where I'm going. So, speaking of
the next few events that I have coming up is
Phantom Fest at Sagebrush here in Austin, Texas on October
(02:09):
twenty seventh. That's a two day event, but like I
said earlier, I'm taking moments to care for myself. So
it's happening on the twenty sixth and the twenty seventh,
but I will be there on the twenty seventh tabling,
selling merch and also doing a live collaborative show with
my paranormal Buddhas. And then after that, on October thirty first,
(02:30):
I will be sitting on a panel at the Kentucky
Folk Life Program. They didn't know we receieds event that
is an online virtual event. It's free to attend. You
can go ahead and again just follow me on socials
to get all the information for that. November second, I
will be at mex American. This is the second year
in a row. I will be with them, free to attend.
(02:50):
That's an amazing event. If you are into anything storytelling, art,
comic books, anything like that from the Latin American perspective,
make sure to go check out mex American. I will
be tabling there and I will be moderating a panel
of spooky creators that are going to be there, so
I highly suggest checking that out. And then one more
after that, I will be at the Critical Mystery Studies
(03:13):
Symposium at the University of New Mexico, So if you're
in New Mexico, come out check it out. I will
be posting that information online. That's November eighteenth and nineteenth.
I believe it's free and open to the public, but
again you can see that when I post it online.
So very exciting. I'm going all the way too. I'm
taking SUSTL all the way to New Mexico. So thank
you so much to everyone who has inviting me to
(03:35):
these events and listen I say this all the time.
For me, Spooky season is three six five. I'm a
three six five party gooul. The events, the gatherings, they
don't have to stop at the end of October. You
know me, we can do this anytime. You all reach
out to me. If you see something you think that
I should be a part of, or you think, hey,
I think Aiden would have fun here, or Aiden could
(03:57):
do something here, send it my way and me their way.
Let's make it happen. I will say a lot of
these events happen because people have seen Susto and they're like, oh,
actually I know these people, or I work with these people,
or they send it to me and then I reach
out to them. So it really really does help when
you all reach out that way. Speaking of reaching out
(04:18):
and working with other people, I am on or have
been on a few other shows. You can hear me
on the Floaties for Krakens podcast on look at Ora Radio.
Upcoming will be Queer Town. I think this is a
little early, so I hope I'm not spoiling this for them,
but that will be out soon and there may be
more to come. I may or may not have recorded things.
(04:39):
I'm just waiting on finding out whether or not I
made the cut. You know what I mean. That's showbiz.
You know you never know if you're gonna make the cut,
Am I right? So fingers crossed will see there will
be more, And like I said, I'm always open and
willing to collaborate. I play well with others, Okay, I
promise I don't possess everyone I come across, just only
a few people. Anyway. Those are all the updates. Thank
(05:01):
you again so much for being here. As always, if
you have your own scary story that you would like
me to share on a Letters from the Beyond episode,
you already know how to do that DM on social media,
email me, visit my website, five star review on Apple,
in the comments on Spotify, and it doesn't have to
be a written story only. You can also send a video, audio, recording,
(05:22):
photo and then I'll post those on these socials. Before
we go into this story, I want to thank my
research assistant and now writer. You have been promoted, Jeffrey Doyle.
Thank you so much. He put this episode together wow
and honestly saved my life because, like I said, I
have been running around like a headless horseman this whole
(05:43):
month and he came in saved the day. So huge
shout out to Jeffrey. Everybody give him a round of applause.
Please rite us thunderous roaring applause. And before we get
into the story, I do just want to let people
know this story contains mentions of sexual abuse and suicide.
So again, one more time listener discretion advised. With that
(06:04):
being said, we are going to listen to the story
of the ghost town of miss Nebalam, Mexico. In the
(06:28):
dry scrub forests of northern Yucatan. In a land spotted
with sonotes, you'll find many historic asciendas. One of them
was abandoned and has become known for ghost activity. Asienda
mis Nebalam Mayan words for Jaguartel was a small town
(06:48):
set up to grow and harvest hennigan, a type of agavi.
The collection of buildings included the main acienda house, smaller
workers buildings, and a Catholic church. The hacienda, that would
eventually grow to house one hundred seventy people, was set
up by Fidenzio Marguez in nineteen hundred to take advantage
(07:09):
of a boom in the popularity of Hennikan in the Yucathon.
This plant had been grown by the Maya people for
thousands of years and became very profitable for Mexican settlers
in the region. It could be crafted into extremely strong
ropes and fibers, so it was valuable for the Mexican
government and became an export industry to other countries. Because
(07:33):
the plant grows so well in the Yucathon, many aciendas
were set up to grow the crop, similar to plantation
monocultures around cotton in the United States, a practice in
which crop growers plant only one species in a field.
With the boom in the economy, there was also a
boom in crime. Many of these asciendas, Misene Balam included
(07:56):
were far off of the main highways, making it easy
to sneak upon and attack unsuspecting people. In October nineteen
twenty one, Fidenzio, his son, and a worker were ambushed
on one of the back roads traveling back to their hacienda.
The attackers left them for dead and fled after stealing
(08:17):
their belongings. The three travelers survived the initial attack and
were able to return to the hacienda. Many reported that
Fidenzio died upon returning to mis Nebalam. Ultimately, his family
fled their home out of grief and fear, and left
the foremen in charge of the operation to continue growing
(08:38):
the hen again. Many reported seeing Fidenzio after his death,
walking the grounds, keeping an eye on his land. His
spirit was unable to rest as the operation of the
hacienda was no longer up to his standard. Under the
foreman's control, Hassienda mis Nebalam took a dark, dark turn.
(09:01):
The foreman, drunk with his new power, was abusive and
controlling of the people who lived and worked there. One resident,
a nine year old boy named Julian often called Juliancito,
received the worst of the abuse. After being assaulted and
violated by the foremen, Julian found the courage to go
(09:24):
to the priest of the hacienda and report what was happening.
The priest, for fear of angering the foremen and leaving
his good graces, instructed Julian to never tell anyone about
what was happening. With no escape from the abuse, Julian
was desperate to make it end. That night, the young
Juliancito hung himself from a tree in the main courtyard
(09:47):
of the Haussienda it is said the boy's soul, unable
to rest from the suffering he lived through, joined Fidencio
in walking the grounds of the Hussienda. Visitors report seeing
the young boy's ghost at night in the main courtyard,
playing with a ball. Others say they can hear the
laughter of a child when no child is nearby. Unfortunately,
(10:11):
Juliancito would not be the last ghost to haunt the grounds.
The priest, who Juliancito confided in, was never able to
recover from the guilt of what happened. He continued to
regret his failure as a leader in the faith and
a protector of the community until his death. His soul
can still be seen walking the grounds of the church
(10:34):
and nearby buildings, now appearing in solid black. The priest
haunts the grounds, often referred to as the Black Monk.
When his silhouette appears, people report hearing strange cries and
unexplained noises. As the popularity of Hennigan dwindled in favor
of artificial materials, the population of Nisena Balam shrunk as well.
(10:59):
People stople traveling to the Assienda and the residents grew
more and more fearful of the spirits that inhabited Misnambalam.
By two thousand and five, the hacienda was completely abandoned,
with no residence left. Nature began to take over. Many
of the buildings, once bustling with people, now have plants
(11:20):
growing through their foundations. People from the nearby city of
Medida now tore the ghost town. Some even use the
ruins for recreational fun Still, others have taken note of
the presence of spirits and have chosen to start using
the grounds for rituals and religious practices. Some of these
(11:40):
are meant to bring peace to the ghosts, like an
altar to Juliansito, which regularly has fresh flowers. Others are
presumed to be more nefarious, with ruins, candles, and other
tools left behind that are often associated with religious cults
that seek to do harm. This is not the end
(12:01):
of the story for meis Balam, though, a group of
indigenous Mayan people seeking to obtain protected land have claimed
mes Balam as property developers push them out of their
homes close to the highway. The relative isolation of meis
ne Balam offers them a place to live in peace.
(12:21):
Perhaps they will be able to bring balance back to
the lands of meis ne Balam after one hundred years
of suffering. Welcome back, Ghoul friends. Thank you again so
(12:46):
much to my research assistant and editor and a writer.
I guess now he really took initiative. Should I keep
him y'all? Jeffrey Doyle, thank you so much for helping
me put this episode together, and I thank you all
for listening to that. So let's divint to some of
these sources. The first one we have here is from
a website called Yukatan Today dot com and this is
(13:07):
It looks like a touristy kind of website, but there's
also some really good information here. This is published in
twenty twenty three September. It's titled connect with the Great
Beyond in mis Nevalam and they're kind of just letting
people know again about miss Nevalam. And this says, if
you're anything like me, you're likely counting down the days
until October and November. That's us right here, eagerly anticipating
(13:28):
the festivities of Hana Bisan. Oh, what's that Kanna Bisan
or Day of the Dead altars in Yukatan. I guess
that is how they identify that or it's like similar
to that. That's pretty interesting. It says the right way
to set up a finaloes or Hana Bistan or Yukat
Khan Day of the Dead altar may vary greatly within
this date, depending on the region, each family's tradition, and
(13:50):
several other factors. In fact, it's easier to talk about
what doesn't go on to hana Bisan alter than it
is about what does you know? We're we're always it's
always a school day here on Susto. Okay, So again
this continues. That's one of the things I celebrate. It's
the perfect opportunity to share traditions with family. Honor are departed,
and why not get a few scares along the way.
(14:12):
Who wrote this? Where is the name of the author here?
Because I feel like this person gets it? Okay? Author
is it Ahina Zumaraga. Thank you Regina for posting this.
Communicologists specializing food and product photography amazing. So this continues.
Just eighteen kilometers away from Medida, you'll find the perfect
(14:32):
place to immerse yourself in the mystery and nostalgia of
these dates. Step out of your routine with a spine
chilling visit to Misene Balam, a well known ghost town
in Yukatan, located within the jurisdiction of Santa Maria. Yeshe
about halfway between Medida and Progresso. Are you familiar with
the history of this unique place, Well now we are, so.
(14:53):
As said, this goes on to talk about how people
tore it. But there's something else in here that I
wanted to read. It says it's the legends s rounding
Julian Tito that have a specially attracted supernatural enthusiasts to
miss Nee Balam. It turns out that mes Nee Balam
and its long abandoned buildings have been a popular destination
for both Airsoft and paintball players. So when I mentioned
(15:13):
recreational fun in the story, people really use these places
for recreational fun. Again, Airsoft's Paintball who occasionally record videos
of their games. One of these recordings ended up being
widely shared because behind the action it was possible to
make out the figure of a boy, who, of course
was associated with the legend of Juliancito. I want to say.
(15:35):
Jeffrey said that he tried looking for this video and
he could not find it. Also, it's not tagged or
hyperlinked in this article, whereas several other things are so
I think maybe also Rehina also had a hard time
finding that video. So if anybody sees that out there,
send it to me. I'm going to try really hard
to find it, and if I do find it, it'll
be on the social post for this episode, this continues.
(15:56):
Unlike the one Fidanzio Marquez, whose existence is well documented,
there no reliable records of hu Leancito's life or death.
As for then Fidenzioji Marquez, he actually died of natural
causes in nineteen forty. The events of nineteen twenty one,
which aren't easy to independently verify, would have been only
a failed attempt on his life, So it's possible that
(16:16):
he was actually attacked on the road. But according to documents,
he died of natural causes. He was not ambushed and
murdered as legend says. But as we know many times
these legends does kind of take a life of their
own and they run amuck. This says. The truth of
the matter is that the population of Meseni Balam dwindled
until it was completely abandoned in two thousand and five,
(16:38):
which is very recent. Rumors attribute this event to the
paranormal occurrences, although it's very likely that it was due
to the water shortage in the region. Very interesting, so
this article kind of immediately demystifies what was happening with that.
So it's a ghost town, yes, by definition, but is
it a ghost town? You see what I'm saying, You
(16:59):
hear what I'm seeing, you know. Yeah, So there's a
very logical explanation as to why it is a ghost
town now, but there's still so much legend that surrounds
it for whatever reason. The next source that we have
here is from pinkplankton dot com. It's titled Meisnevalam a
haunted ghost town in Mexico's Yukatan Peninsula. And this has
(17:20):
a ton of amazing pictures of these now ruins. I
guess you could say, wow, this place. You can tell
was probably very beautiful in its heyday. There's a short
written entry here, but this is mainly photos, so huge
shout out. I can see they have an Instagram here.
I will be tagging them in those photos as well,
but just that I have it here on the episode,
(17:42):
it's pink Underscore Plankton on Instagram. They wrote here Mesnevalam
is an abandoned ghost town near Medida, Mexico. It was
inhabited from around nineteen ten to two thousand and five.
It was once a lively little town do the production
of Hennigan, a plant used to extract fibers and create textiles.
In nineteen twenty one, the head of Hennigan production, though
(18:03):
Fidencio Ji Marquez, was attacked and murdered. Again, we see
that murdered, and we just learned that that is not
necessarily true, possibly an attempt on his life, but they
did not succeed. This continues. It is said that since then,
ghosts and other paranormal activity began to scare the residents
so much that in two thousand and five they left
the town for good. I really want to know what
(18:26):
the cherry on top, the straw that broke the camel's back,
the final straw, whatever. I just want to know what
that last thing was that made people decide, Okay, we
got to get out of here. There's too much going
on to spooky, to scarey no good. This continues. The
Hennegan industry was booming at the time, but eventually fell
(18:46):
due to the invention of more cost effective synthetic materials.
This probably had something to do with the town's abandonment
as well, but a wander around the pool and courtyard
area shows what a thriving town this once was. You
can find mis Ne Balam on Google Maps. Here are
some photos I took in February twenty twenty one. Also
(19:07):
this website. The tagline says travel and Festival Media by
Jessica Devnani. So, Jessica, thank you so much for these
beautiful pictures. I will be tagging you on the social post.
These are really cool. This also kind of reminds me
of if y'all have ever heard me talk about that
abandoned building or mansion in Monte Alto, Texas, which is
(19:28):
right next to where I grew up. These pictures kind
of give me that vibe. It kind of looks like this,
like there's a lot of just exposed foundation, just like
open walls, open doorways with like no internal structure, probably
very dangerous to venture into. And of course there's tons
of graffiti all over the place. There is like vines
and grass growing up the walls of these stained graffitied buildings.
(19:51):
It looks really cool. Just to give you a visual
description now and you'll see it again on the social
media post. Wow, those pictures are amazing. The next source
that we have is from a website, the Yukathon Times
dot com and this is titled this is the Story
behind meis Nevalam, The Ghost Town of Yukathon by Sophia Navado.
(20:12):
This is published in June twenty twenty three, so a
couple months ago, basically, really and here it's a it's
a pretty short write up and they're just, you know,
basically saying everything that we've covered again. Jeffrey did a
really great job of using all of these sources to
put that story together. It has descriptions of Julian and
the monks stories. Here it says there are two versions
(20:33):
of the complete abandonment of meis Nevalam. The first one
suggests that a water shortage forced the inhabitants to migrate
to more populated areas. The second and more well known
version is attributed to the constant paranormal events that occurred there.
One of the stories that sparked the legends of paranormal
events dates back to nineteen twenty one, when the owner
(20:56):
of the hacienda survived a serious assassination attempt his way
to San Ignacio. Here we go they they called it
what it was, ultimately an assassination attempt. Luckily, his son
was traveling with him and managed to bring him back
to Medila. However, the culprits of the attack mysteriously disappeared
and were never found. After that incident's unusual events began
(21:18):
to occur, and the most popular ones involve a child
son of one of the workers, and a monk. Okay,
here's my now, I just how new theory just hit me?
I had that's a raven vision. Here's my new theory
aka a rumor. And we'll see if this takes. It's
a life of its own for this legend. So what
if imagine this they because this says that the culprits
(21:39):
of the attack mysteriously disappeared. What if it wasn't so mysterious.
And after they attacked Fidenzio Marguez, he was like, actually,
absolutely not. You don't try to kill me and get
away with it, and he had them killed, and so
then they followed them back to the hacienda and started
haunting it. What if that's where some of this paranormal
(22:01):
activity is coming from. Tell everybody that that is the truth.
Now just kidding. Okay, this continues. It breaks down those
two hauntings if you will. It has Julian's first. It says,
according to the legend, Julian was a nine year old
boy and the son of one of the hacienda workers.
I'm going to correct some of the verbige here that
says he died by suicide after hanging himself from a
(22:23):
tree after being violated by one of the laborers. People.
So this is one of the laborers, not the foreman.
So again, because Fidenzio was not successfully murdered, then I
guess the story of the foreman is out right. But
now the legend of Julian switches to it wasn't the
foreman that took over after Fidensio's death, because he didn't die.
It was one of the other laborers on the ascienda.
(22:45):
This continues. People who have visited the place have reported
sidings and cries, which is why an altar has been
set up for Julian. Visitors bring him flowers and sweets
in order to help his soul rest in peace. That
is so tragic and so oh so sad. The next
one here is the story of the monk, and this
says the true story of the monk is unknown. However,
(23:08):
horror media outlets have captured images of the figure of
a black dressed monk appearing on top of the buildings
that used to serve as a church, usually in the
early hours of the morning. Laughter, wandering silhouettes, cries, and
strange noises emanating from the abandoned buildings have also been
reported in the area. Okay, again, so there's no pictures
(23:30):
with this one, but I am going to try and
find pictures of the monk to post online because that
is scary. I don't know what it is when you
take iconography or if you imagine something that belongs in
the church or is associated with the church and you
turn it into its haunting, it's spooky. It's like kids,
(23:50):
it's like seeing children ghosts. That's extra unsettling for some reason.
And so that gives me the same vibe as the monk.
The next source that we have here is for good
old Atlas obscura dot com. If anybody knows someone from
Atlas Obscura, I would love to. I feel like they're
like to me because of how much I've been able
to find on them. They give me like the spooky
(24:11):
national geographic, but this is their entry on mes Nevalam, Mexico.
According to legend, this hacienda was abandoned because of a curse,
so that's different. A curse is different than a haunting.
This says the ascienda of meis Nebalam, along with its
surrounding abandoned village, is the only ghost town in the
state of Yugatan. And this was published in twenty twenty two,
(24:36):
so as recent as two years ago. This is saying
this was the only ghost town in the state of Yugatan.
Located at the first turnoff of kilometer twenty one of
the Media Progdesso Highway, this unique ascienda or estate was
built in the early twentieth century and inhabited for about
one hundred years before being abandoned around twenty ten, which
(24:56):
we've seen from other reports is two thousand and five.
Miss Nevalam was one. It's an important site for the
production of en again, a nagavid plant that is often
turned into rope. At its peak, more than one hundred
and fifty people lived in and around the estate, largely
workers and their families. This says locals say that miss
ne Baalam ended up emptied due to multiple paranormal phenomena,
(25:17):
though a shrinking demand for Hennegen and the acienda falling
into disrepair likely played a significant role, again demystifying those rumors.
This continues according to people who have visited it. It
seems to be stopped in time, which it can be
assured is totally true. Vegetation has taken over the place
and time has damaged the structures, making them spooker. The
(25:41):
place is the victim of multiple religious cults, which is
reflected in the ruins on the walls and also in
the remains of candles and some instruments for religious purposes.
But don't worry, it's not all strange cults. The place
is often used for events such as airsoft and Gotcha battles.
This says no before you go. The place is isolated,
(26:01):
so it is advisable to bring enough water and materials. Also,
take into account that it is an area without cell
phone coverage, so be careful in case of an emergency.
You know, I was about to say, Oh, it would
be fun to go visit this place. No, the one
thing I cannot do without is cell phone. Service. And
that's not because I am an iPad baby and I
(26:21):
need to hunch my back over and stare at my
screen every second of the day, which is also kind
of true. Mind your business. But what if something happens
there's no one to call, not even again. Oh, I'm
more scared of the living than the dead. What if
some deranged person, some sinister evil person tries to attack,
like those criminals that tried to attack Pu Dance, you
(26:42):
Marchuez show up and they try to you know, kill me,
and I have no cell phone service to call for
help or if someone gets injured or you get trapped whatever,
you know, that's just that is a no for me.
So I mean, I guess I could be convinced, you know,
if we went with a big enough group, but that is, yeah,
the cell phone thing. I need to be able to
call for help. This continues. Also note that the road
(27:03):
is dirt, so you have to be very careful. It
is advisable to go on one of the regular expeditions.
Oh that's right, they do tours. Okay, perfect to go
on one of the regular expeditions, although you can also
visit on your own as long as you ask permission.
From the caretaker to enter the hacienda. It is not
necessary to ask permission to explore the village since it
is outside the area of private property. Yeah. I would
(27:26):
love to do. Okay, yeah, one of the tours I
could do, Like I said, if it's a big enough group,
but also someone who knows the area. I'm sure they
have radios versus cell phones that they can use in
case of emergencies. But yeah, that's really cool. So this
entry it says that this was published in twenty twenty two,
added by the Atlas Obscura user rad Lizard. Rad Lizard,
(27:48):
thank you so much for putting this in. I definitely
want to go the last thing that I have here,
and I will find a way to post the link.
I could probably post the link in the descriptions, the
description or the notes of this episode, but I'll also
post it directly to Patreon for Patreon subscribers, which also
if you are a Patreon subscriber at the mid to
(28:10):
higher tiers, then you get access to the Susto Google
docs with direct links to all of these sources where
I will also be posting this video. But again this
says this is a video. It's just exploring a ghost town.
This was uploaded by Sugar Free Traveler two years ago
and they posted a video I think of one of
the tours. They said, while in Yukatan, I decided to
join a local tour company. There you go Mochilero's Yugatan
(28:34):
on a tour of an old, abandoned ghost town and
the Acienda and mes Nevalam Yugatan. Join me on this
episode as we explore the abandoned ghost town of meis
Nebalam at night, which includes a few houses and a church.
So in case you're interested in seeing what that tour
may look like. It's very dark. I'm scrolling through it.
It looks very creepy, very demonic, not like these other tours. Yeah,
(28:57):
that would definitely be something that I would love to do. Okay,
there there are two more actually, So this one is
from It looks like a website called Indignacion dot org
dot Mexico. This is an entry. It says researchers present
amicus curie supporting the right of the Union of Residents
of Chablecal to guard the forest. This says researchers from
fifteen Latin American countries embraced the struggle of the union
(29:20):
of Chablecal inhabitants. They claim that the inhabitants have the
legitimate right to continue being a Mayan people and to
protect their mountains. The mentions that it says here of
mis Nevalam, it says, I'm skipping ahead. But this says
the annoyance increased when they began to sell the common
use forests, that is, those that were for the use
and enjoyment of the entire town, not just the ahdatarios. Quote.
(29:42):
Telbecal is an indigenous town and the ancestral forests have
been and continue to be part of our territory end quote.
The document states this reflection encouraged them to take possession
in twenty fourteen when they beganned their struggle of the
mes Neebalam forests, which is made up of two hundred
and eighty six hect which the inhabitants have described as
quote the last corner of the ancestral territory of Chablikal. And.
(30:06):
A hectare is a metric unit of area equal to
a square with one hundred meters sides that is ten
thousand square meters, and is primarily used in the measurement
of land. Also, I probably edited that out, but the
first time I read it, I read it as ektadas.
I don't know if that happens to anybody else who
is bilingual, but you dip into the other language sometimes
(30:28):
this continues. A final mention of Mesnabalam says the importance
of this mountain is that it is a space considered
sacred due to the presence of Sennotees and pre Hispanic mounds.
In twenty eighteen, they held a ceremony at the foot
of the Nohoch Mule or main mound, to give thanks
to the fight. The description of the ceremony can be
seen in the document. Likewise, meis Nee Balam is also
(30:50):
important since its young custodians consider it a kind of
ecological reserve with a diversity of plants, as we spoke
about earlier, and is all over those pictures again it
is covered in plant life. This says the kinds of
plants is medicinal, forestry, timber uses, et cetera. So there
are tons of ways to use this plant life, this
(31:12):
nature that's taken over and native animals such as the yuya,
the deer, the wild turkey, among others. So definitely this
place needs people that will make it sustainable okay. And
the final source here is a chapter from a book.
The chapter is Invisible Maya Communities, Indigenous Territory and the
Nation State in the Yucatan by Josse and heel Goyokku,
(31:36):
translated by Ellen Jones. And this is in the book
Beyond Mestizach Contemporary Debates on Race in Mexico, published in
twenty twenty four, a while very very recent. I'm going
to read some just some of this that mentions mis
nevalam So. This section in this chapter says defending territory
in the old northeastern Hennigan producing region. Chable Gal, as
we mentioned earlier, is a Maya community located in the
(31:59):
northern part of the municipality of Medida, which has the
administrative status of precinct. Since nineteen ninety, property developers have
had their eye on its land with a view to
building luxury residential developments and shopping centers. Great because we
need another Dave Mbusters. The area has recently acquired commercial
(32:19):
value because it is near the highway connecting the state
capital to the port of Progresso. As a result, the
current Ehilo commissioners working hand in hand with officials from
instructions like the Agrarian Mbudsman and the National Agrarian Registry,
have sold off much of Chablikao's land. In order to
reclaim their right to the territory, the community set up
(32:40):
the Chablikaal Residents Union in twenty fourteen. Since the establishment
of the union, residents have reclaimed Mysenevalam lands, which take
their name from an old Hennigan producing acienda. So there's
that one. This next part says the agro industrial production
of Hennigan led to the Maya people living in the
esciendas and surrounding villae gradually leaving corn farming behind and
(33:02):
instead taking up grueling jobs on Hennagen farms, fenced offf
areas in need of a permanent labor force. In spite
of this, the agavet monoculture did not wipe out either
the meaf Ba workers or the scrubland, as maps of
the mes Nebelam macienda dating back to Porfirio d. S's
time clearly illustrate. For this reason. When the revolutionary regime
began to distribute land after the collapse of the Porfirato,
(33:25):
both scrubland and Hennigan farms passed into the possession of
Maya workers. Oh wow, this is really cool. There is
a detailed map of the meis Nevala macienda. This is
credited to Carlos Miramon, Yucatan in nineteen o two. The
area labeled Monte indicates that the scrublands were not destroyed,
or at least not entirely. Oh, I am saving this picture.
(33:48):
That is so cool. This whole chapter, Like it says
in the beginning, it's talking about indigenous territory. I guess
the struggle for claiming or reclaiming lands just land grabs
in role to end it on such a high positive note, right,
(34:16):
Welcome back, gool friends. Thank you once again for joining
me for another episode of Sustal. Once again, I have
several events coming up. Those are the Phantom Fest, the
Kentucky Folk Life Program. They didn't know we receives mechs
American Critical Mysteries Study Symposium. Again. Follow my socials at
Sostal podcast and every platform for any and all updates
(34:38):
on the show. If you know of any events that
you think that I should be present at, please send
my information to the event organizers or send the events
to me. I am always open to showing up having
a good old spooky time, or even just to show
up show face and table and let people know about
Sustal again. You can listen to me on other episodes.
You can catch me on the EU Floaties, Kraken's Show,
(35:00):
look at Dot Radio, Queertown, and possibly some other ones.
I'm still confirming they're going to be there once again.
If you have your own scary story to share with me,
you can do so by sending it via DM five
star review on Apple, comment on Spotify, my website. You
can also if you get catch full Moon rain water
if you throw it over your left shoulder and then
(35:21):
you sprinkle ashes from incense over it counterclockwise and you
say my name three times, you say the story into
the puddle of water and I'll it'll come to me
in an awaking dream. Aside from that, it can also
be a photo video recording. Anything you think that is
spooky that I should share. I will do it either
story these letters from Beyond episode or on a social
(35:44):
media Before I give a huge, big thank you shout
out to patrons, I do want to let you all
know that there are changes happening with Patreon. So Patreon
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So there is a workaround. If you sign up for
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think on like the day that you signed up. I'm
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(36:27):
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if you want to sign up to be a Patreon subscriber,
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(37:08):
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(37:30):
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(38:15):
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(38:39):
if you've made it all the way to this episode,
I have one final giveaway for the month of October.
If you are a Patreon subscriber, I'm giving away and
I will post this online. I'm giving away the Owala
Halloween color drop bottle. It is a glow in the
dark bottle with ghosts all over it. It is so cute.
(39:00):
I am obsessed with it. Of course, I got myself one,
but I got a second one to give away to
Patreon subscribers. So this is going to be a giveaway
for Patreon subscribers at any paid level, so starting from
three dollars up. If you're a Patreon subscriber, I'm giving
away this bottle. I'm gonna go ahead and do this
giveaway until it's gonna be a quick one until Monday
the twenty eighth. I will pick someone. I will probably
(39:22):
have already posted about this online so you can find
that on there. And yeah, I'm gonna give it away
to one lucky winner, someone who is a Patreon paid subscriber.
So thank you for listening all the way to the
end of the episode. And if not, then maybe you
saw this on social media. Either way, thank you so
much for listening. I hope that you had a fun
time with me today. I will talk to you in
(39:44):
the next one. Until then, no Tausts. Bye.
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