August 14, 2025 • 13 mins
Does Mexico have its own version of Bigfoot? The answer is, "Yes."
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Welcome to Mexico Unexplained, where we will explore the magic,
the mysteries and the miracles of Mexico. This series presents
information based partly on theory and conjecture. The podcaster's purpose
is to suggest some possible explanation, but not necessarily the
only ones to the subjects we will examine. Here is
your host, Robert Twitto.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Welcome and Mopian Benitos to episode number twelve of Mexico Unexplained,
where we examine the magic, the mysteries, and the miracles
of Mexico. I'm your host, Robert Biddo. Today I'm going
to answer a question I have had for quite some time.
Does Mexico have its own version of Bigfoot? The answer
(01:21):
is yes. It's called the Cisimite, and he is only
found in three Mexican states, Campeche, Chiappas and Quitanaro. It
has been spotted in the jungle covered tropical areas of
these states and is said to range all the way
down the heavily forested Central American Cordillera to Colombia, where
(01:44):
he has been nicknamed the Dairyan Monster. The Cisimite is
also called the olmec Ape based on a figurine found
at an Ollmech archaeological site in the state of Campeche.
The figurine dates back to two two thousand years and
a photo of it can be seen at our website
Mexico Unexplained dot com. So what does this creature look
(02:10):
like and what are its origins? The Cisimite has been
described as a hairy, ape like creature much larger than
a human, with the face of a human. It has
only four fingers and no thumbs, and in some cases
it has been described as having backwards facing feet. Caisimites
(02:32):
walk upright like humans. They let out high pitched screams,
but have no language. They are generally regarded as being
hostile to humans and have been accused of kidnapping people.
Their ape like fur has been described as ranging from
a chestnut color to pitch black. They have no protruding ears,
(02:56):
and their noses are flat. Cryptozoology, those who study unknown
or mythical animals, suspect that the Sissimite came across the
Baring Land Bridge with humans and its northern cousin Bigfoot,
some forty thousand years ago. Why is it confined to
(03:16):
the dense Jungles of southern Mexico, thousands of miles away
from the closest Bigfoot siding. Is unknown. Perhaps the northern
offshoots of this creature were killed off by early humans,
or if this is something unrelated to Bigfoot, the habitat
of the north and central parts of Mexico were not
(03:38):
conducive to the survival of the Sissimite. Some believe that
the creature is a surviving remnant of Gigantopithecus, a large
prehistoric ape native to Asia that stood almost nine feet
tall and supposedly died out over one hundred thousand years
(04:00):
years ago. Briefly, I will get a little sidetracked here
and mention that the Sisimite has a smaller cousin who
lives in the same region. The creature's little cousin is
simply called the Duende by Spanish speakers and the Duende
by the English speaking people of the country of Belize,
(04:22):
which is in the heart of the Sisimites territory. People
who still speak one of the Maya dialects refer to
the Duende as nucukstat. The word dwende in Spanish literally
means elf or dwarf. This creature is described as a
much shorter, hairy humanoid, and is often seen or depicted
(04:45):
wearing a sombrero or woven palm leaves on his head.
This three to four foot tall animal is described as
a trickster, a mythical creature possessing magical powers. Often he
has been described carrying a stick or machete, and can
be clad in rags or animal skins. The Duende has
(05:09):
been described as a creature perpetually engaged in mischief. He
has alternatively been known to rescue lost people in the
forest and kidnap them. He is also seen as being
a protector of all the animals in the jungle. The
Dwende is used to scare children not to play in
(05:30):
the forest alone, as it is said he may kidnap
kids and take them to his cave to hold them hostage.
Farmers may blame the tricks of the Duende for bad crops.
Many people who have studied the Sissimite have categorized the
Duende as more of a mythological creature, whereas his larger
(05:51):
cousin could most likely be a real and yet undiscovered animal.
The Dwende is mentioned here because it also may be
an embellished cryptid and have some of the same characteristics
as have been ascribed to the Sissimite, notably a body
covered in coarse fur and backwards facing feet. The country
(06:13):
of Belize issued a postage stamp as part of a
folklore series that depicts the Duende. You can see a
photo of the stamp on the Mexico un Explained website.
But back to our larger cryptid, the Cisimite. This creature
has long been a part of the animal makeup of
the forest, according to the Maya, who still live in
(06:36):
the creature's territory. The traditional Maya beliefs, going back to
ancient times, divide the world of spiritual beings into three categories.
There are the main powerful deities that lord over the universe,
the gods of the sky, the earth, the water, etc.
(06:57):
Then there are the local spirits that may inhabit certain
areas of the forest or a geographical feature such as
a mountain or a landmark tree. The last group of
spiritual beings include certain animals of the forests that are
connected to the gods or local spirits. The jaguar, for example,
(07:19):
has special powers because it is connected to the higher spirits.
The cisimite is considered to be another animal that is
plugged in to the spirit world while being a real, living,
breathing animal of the forest. Although native to the world
of the Maya, the name Sisimite comes from anahuatl Aztec
(07:43):
word sisimitro, which loosely means demon or supernatural creature. While
known to the Maya for centuries, the first outside report
of the sisimite came from a group of Spanish golden
prospectors in the eighteenth century on an expedition in what
(08:05):
is now Honduras. A member of this group supposedly shot
and killed one of the creatures that was raiding the
mining camp. The Cisimite made its debut in the English
speaking world through the writings and reports of a man
named Edward Jonathan Hoyt, who was nicknamed Buckskin Joe. Hoyt
(08:29):
was born in Lower Canada modern Quebec in eighteen forty.
He headed south in eighteen sixty one to take part
in the American Civil War, fighting on the Union side.
Between the end of the war and a trip to
tropical Mexico and Central America in eighteen ninety eight, Buckskin
(08:52):
Joe traveled with circuses across America and was an aerialist
and acrobat in addition to play sixteen musical instruments. On
that eighteen ninety eight old prospecting adventure, he would encounter
our horrible hominid, shooting a sisimite that crawled onto his
(09:13):
bunk while he was sleeping. The account made the papers
back home. The Sisimkde appeared again in a nineteen sixty
one compendium compiled by author Ivan T. Sanderson titled Abominable
Snowman Legend Come to Life. In the book, the author
(09:34):
compiled stories of the Central American Bigfoot, mostly concentrating on
British Honduras, the former name of what we call Belize.
The Abominable Snowman book prompted bigfoot researcher Mark Sanborn to
track the creature in nineteen ninety two, and he too
(09:54):
compiled stories from Tropical Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Both works
are full of eyewitness accounts of the creature. So, then,
is the cisimete real or imaginary? Is it, like the
giant panda and the mountain gorilla, a real animal that
(10:16):
managed to evade human investigation until modern times, or is
it just a myth created to scare children. We have
many stories and eyewitness accounts, and in spite of people
claiming to have shot the creature, we have no physical
evidence of the Ciscimite. Like Bigfoot, no one has yet
(10:41):
produced a body or captured one alive. Personally, I am
often asked if I believe in Bigfoot. I do take
that question seriously. As mentioned, with the Cisimite, there is
a surprising lack of physical evidence in spite of thousands
(11:01):
upon thousands of sightings of the creature. I think it
would be easy for me to chalk this all up
to mass imagination and people expecting to see a strange
creature while out in the wild. But if Bigfoot is
a creature born from the imagination, then why has every
single state in the US had multiple Bigfoot sightings except
(11:25):
for Hawaii. It makes sense that if Bigfoot were real,
it would not be found in Hawaii, and that's exactly
what we are seeing. I really can't get my mind
around the whole Bigfoot phenomenon or the phenomenon of its
Mexican cousin. I'm not sure if the handful of shows
on paranormal creatures or those dedicated to tracking Bigfoot have
(11:50):
ever considered investigating the sisimite. Perhaps more investigations and expeditions
into Mexico's dark jungles are necessary to finally figure out
conclusively whether or not the creature is real. Thank you
(12:12):
for listening to another episode of Mexico Unexplained. Please remember
to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Go to our website Mexico on Explained dot com for illustrations,
a show transcript, or to lead comments. Thank you very
much and muchas gracias until next time.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Thank you, but listening to another episode of Mexico Unexplained
with host Robert Bitto. For show summary, relevant links, and commentary.
Please check out our website at Mexico Unexplained dot com,
Like us on Facebook and be a part of the conversation.
Addieon sant Heste la Vista
Welcome to Mexico Unexplained, where we will explore the magic,
the mysteries and the miracles of Mexico. This series presents
information based partly on theory and conjecture. The podcaster's purpose
is to suggest some possible explanation, but not necessarily the
only ones to the subjects we will examine. Here is
your host, Robert Twitto.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Welcome and Mopian Benitos to episode number twelve of Mexico Unexplained,
where we examine the magic, the mysteries, and the miracles
of Mexico. I'm your host, Robert Biddo. Today I'm going
to answer a question I have had for quite some time.
Does Mexico have its own version of Bigfoot? The answer
(01:21):
is yes. It's called the Cisimite, and he is only
found in three Mexican states, Campeche, Chiappas and Quitanaro. It
has been spotted in the jungle covered tropical areas of
these states and is said to range all the way
down the heavily forested Central American Cordillera to Colombia, where
(01:44):
he has been nicknamed the Dairyan Monster. The Cisimite is
also called the olmec Ape based on a figurine found
at an Ollmech archaeological site in the state of Campeche.
The figurine dates back to two two thousand years and
a photo of it can be seen at our website
Mexico Unexplained dot com. So what does this creature look
(02:10):
like and what are its origins? The Cisimite has been
described as a hairy, ape like creature much larger than
a human, with the face of a human. It has
only four fingers and no thumbs, and in some cases
it has been described as having backwards facing feet. Caisimites
(02:32):
walk upright like humans. They let out high pitched screams,
but have no language. They are generally regarded as being
hostile to humans and have been accused of kidnapping people.
Their ape like fur has been described as ranging from
a chestnut color to pitch black. They have no protruding ears,
(02:56):
and their noses are flat. Cryptozoology, those who study unknown
or mythical animals, suspect that the Sissimite came across the
Baring Land Bridge with humans and its northern cousin Bigfoot,
some forty thousand years ago. Why is it confined to
(03:16):
the dense Jungles of southern Mexico, thousands of miles away
from the closest Bigfoot siding. Is unknown. Perhaps the northern
offshoots of this creature were killed off by early humans,
or if this is something unrelated to Bigfoot, the habitat
of the north and central parts of Mexico were not
(03:38):
conducive to the survival of the Sissimite. Some believe that
the creature is a surviving remnant of Gigantopithecus, a large
prehistoric ape native to Asia that stood almost nine feet
tall and supposedly died out over one hundred thousand years
(04:00):
years ago. Briefly, I will get a little sidetracked here
and mention that the Sisimite has a smaller cousin who
lives in the same region. The creature's little cousin is
simply called the Duende by Spanish speakers and the Duende
by the English speaking people of the country of Belize,
(04:22):
which is in the heart of the Sisimites territory. People
who still speak one of the Maya dialects refer to
the Duende as nucukstat. The word dwende in Spanish literally
means elf or dwarf. This creature is described as a
much shorter, hairy humanoid, and is often seen or depicted
(04:45):
wearing a sombrero or woven palm leaves on his head.
This three to four foot tall animal is described as
a trickster, a mythical creature possessing magical powers. Often he
has been described carrying a stick or machete, and can
be clad in rags or animal skins. The Duende has
(05:09):
been described as a creature perpetually engaged in mischief. He
has alternatively been known to rescue lost people in the
forest and kidnap them. He is also seen as being
a protector of all the animals in the jungle. The
Dwende is used to scare children not to play in
(05:30):
the forest alone, as it is said he may kidnap
kids and take them to his cave to hold them hostage.
Farmers may blame the tricks of the Duende for bad crops.
Many people who have studied the Sissimite have categorized the
Duende as more of a mythological creature, whereas his larger
(05:51):
cousin could most likely be a real and yet undiscovered animal.
The Dwende is mentioned here because it also may be
an embellished cryptid and have some of the same characteristics
as have been ascribed to the Sissimite, notably a body
covered in coarse fur and backwards facing feet. The country
(06:13):
of Belize issued a postage stamp as part of a
folklore series that depicts the Duende. You can see a
photo of the stamp on the Mexico un Explained website.
But back to our larger cryptid, the Cisimite. This creature
has long been a part of the animal makeup of
the forest, according to the Maya, who still live in
(06:36):
the creature's territory. The traditional Maya beliefs, going back to
ancient times, divide the world of spiritual beings into three categories.
There are the main powerful deities that lord over the universe,
the gods of the sky, the earth, the water, etc.
(06:57):
Then there are the local spirits that may inhabit certain
areas of the forest or a geographical feature such as
a mountain or a landmark tree. The last group of
spiritual beings include certain animals of the forests that are
connected to the gods or local spirits. The jaguar, for example,
(07:19):
has special powers because it is connected to the higher spirits.
The cisimite is considered to be another animal that is
plugged in to the spirit world while being a real, living,
breathing animal of the forest. Although native to the world
of the Maya, the name Sisimite comes from anahuatl Aztec
(07:43):
word sisimitro, which loosely means demon or supernatural creature. While
known to the Maya for centuries, the first outside report
of the sisimite came from a group of Spanish golden
prospectors in the eighteenth century on an expedition in what
(08:05):
is now Honduras. A member of this group supposedly shot
and killed one of the creatures that was raiding the
mining camp. The Cisimite made its debut in the English
speaking world through the writings and reports of a man
named Edward Jonathan Hoyt, who was nicknamed Buckskin Joe. Hoyt
(08:29):
was born in Lower Canada modern Quebec in eighteen forty.
He headed south in eighteen sixty one to take part
in the American Civil War, fighting on the Union side.
Between the end of the war and a trip to
tropical Mexico and Central America in eighteen ninety eight, Buckskin
(08:52):
Joe traveled with circuses across America and was an aerialist
and acrobat in addition to play sixteen musical instruments. On
that eighteen ninety eight old prospecting adventure, he would encounter
our horrible hominid, shooting a sisimite that crawled onto his
(09:13):
bunk while he was sleeping. The account made the papers
back home. The Sisimkde appeared again in a nineteen sixty
one compendium compiled by author Ivan T. Sanderson titled Abominable
Snowman Legend Come to Life. In the book, the author
(09:34):
compiled stories of the Central American Bigfoot, mostly concentrating on
British Honduras, the former name of what we call Belize.
The Abominable Snowman book prompted bigfoot researcher Mark Sanborn to
track the creature in nineteen ninety two, and he too
(09:54):
compiled stories from Tropical Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Both works
are full of eyewitness accounts of the creature. So, then,
is the cisimete real or imaginary? Is it, like the
giant panda and the mountain gorilla, a real animal that
(10:16):
managed to evade human investigation until modern times, or is
it just a myth created to scare children. We have
many stories and eyewitness accounts, and in spite of people
claiming to have shot the creature, we have no physical
evidence of the Ciscimite. Like Bigfoot, no one has yet
(10:41):
produced a body or captured one alive. Personally, I am
often asked if I believe in Bigfoot. I do take
that question seriously. As mentioned, with the Cisimite, there is
a surprising lack of physical evidence in spite of thousands
(11:01):
upon thousands of sightings of the creature. I think it
would be easy for me to chalk this all up
to mass imagination and people expecting to see a strange
creature while out in the wild. But if Bigfoot is
a creature born from the imagination, then why has every
single state in the US had multiple Bigfoot sightings except
(11:25):
for Hawaii. It makes sense that if Bigfoot were real,
it would not be found in Hawaii, and that's exactly
what we are seeing. I really can't get my mind
around the whole Bigfoot phenomenon or the phenomenon of its
Mexican cousin. I'm not sure if the handful of shows
on paranormal creatures or those dedicated to tracking Bigfoot have
(11:50):
ever considered investigating the sisimite. Perhaps more investigations and expeditions
into Mexico's dark jungles are necessary to finally figure out
conclusively whether or not the creature is real. Thank you
(12:12):
for listening to another episode of Mexico Unexplained. Please remember
to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Go to our website Mexico on Explained dot com for illustrations,
a show transcript, or to lead comments. Thank you very
much and muchas gracias until next time.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Thank you, but listening to another episode of Mexico Unexplained
with host Robert Bitto. For show summary, relevant links, and commentary.
Please check out our website at Mexico Unexplained dot com,
Like us on Facebook and be a part of the conversation.
Addieon sant Heste la Vista
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