The Clawman and Chupacabra page - Spirits of the Estrellas




The most common image of Clawman, also known in most of Latin America as Chupacabra

OK, now for something a little more serious than UFOs and aliens from planet Malukium. Although little known today, the Estrellas have a Sasquatch tradition far, far older than the Bigfoot legend of the Pacific Northwest. I am referring to the spirit and monster legends of the Pimas, first recorded by Manje, a Spanish explorer in the 1770s. According to the journals, the mountain ranges of the Upper Sonoran dessert (from Ajo up to the Estrellas) are inhabited by a infamous monster, usually translated as "Clawman."

Now I may be paranoid, but there is something out there that moves around at night and makes very strange noises. It may just be some mountain goat or even a big old owl, but maybe not. This Clawman thing sounds a lot like Mr. Chupacabra, the infamous creature of Mexican and South America folklore that I first ran accross in South America. Chupacabra means "Goat Sucker" in both Spanish and Portuguese. The chupacabra is a mean, ugly little creature, between 3 to 4 feet tall, that runs around at night and makes stranges noises, discribed in several manners: moaning, wailing or even hissing. It smells like a mixture of rotten flesh and sewer on a summer day. It has reddish eyes and a ponted, sharp head, fangs, with a curved body covered in light fur (or sometimes a leathery reptile-like skin);its hands are more like claws. It has a mane-like growth down its neck and back. Its feet and arms are thin and the creature is very fast. Most definately it is not the type of person that you would want your daughter to date.

Am I making this up? No. There is something out there. Its not just me. Take a look at this article from Phoenix magazine: Doc_002a and Doc_002b. I have heard similar comments many a time about stranges noises and movement in the mountain above. Sometimes, when camped in the Estrellas, I would hear and see things that I couldn't quite explain. It was like being watched. And this goes back decades.




Chupacabra remains

Regarding Mr Chupa and the Estrellas, I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that he is a vicious meat-eater that hunts and kills wild animals, usually rabbits but also bigger animals when possible, including cattle and its favorite: the goat. The good news is that the chupacabras have an inherent fear of mankind. With sharp eyesight and an acute sense of smell, the goat-suckers easily avoid humans. Good! Before I close this paragraph there is, however, a very famous chupacabra event that I remember well from Brazil. It happened near Campinas, in the state of Sao Paulo, and if witnesses are to be believed, it was probably the only recorded chupacabra attack on a man. It was not pretty. See photo here. O pior e' que eu realmente lembro desta reportagem, saiu no Noticias Populares, se a memoria nao me falha.



Rare pics of Chupacabra remains

I would be interested in hearing about any other experiences from readers, regarding this subject.