A CITY of 300,000 people believes it is protected by an underwater alien base just off the coast.
Dubbed by locals as ‘Amupac’ – the legendary structure is believed to be the saviour and shield of the people in Tampico, Mexico.
Alien believers claim the mythical base – which is said to sometimes spawn UFOs – has led to them avoiding trouble for 57 years.
According to locals, there hasn’t been a hurricane in the region since 1967 – something they say is due to aliens living in Amupac.
The wacky legend describes the underwater wonder as an “intraterrestrial” and “multidimensional” secret zone invisible to the human eye.
According to self-proclaimed alien researchers in Mexico, a theory has been developed claiming that a gathering of aliens who are 10ft tall, slender, and have light skin, has established a base near Miramar Beach.
They claim a series of metre-long aluminium, iron and copper alloy bars have been secretly buried in the seafloor when the beings first visited.
Juan Carlos Ramón López Díaz, president of the Association of Scientific Research on UFOs in Tamaulipas (AICOT), has been leading the legend for decades.
He claims to have visited the alien base during an astral trip through mediation and believes it has been made in Tampico to protect the locals.
The idea of the alien base lurking beneath the water first came from local news outlet El Sol de Tampico newspaper in 1967.
They ran a sensational story headlined “Platillos Voladores Sobre Tampico” – translated to English as “Flying Saucers Over Tampico”.
It quoted local cops as saying they witnessed “nine unidentified objects” in the sky moments before a terrifying hurricane was due to hit.
The paper added that “thousands of inhabitants’ saw objects in the sky” as the natural disaster remarkably bypassed the city.
Prior to 1967, the region was known as a hotbed of hurricane and tropical storms.
Only a year earlier Hurricane Inez left 74 people dead as four other major storms ripped through Tampico and nearby Ciudad Madero across three decades between 1933 and 1966.
But ever since the alien sightings not a single weather phenomenon has attacked the region.
In 1988, a hurricane due to smash the city – but it suddenly changed direction and hit further up the coast.
All natural disasters have disappeared from weather radars in the area when passing through the Gulf Coast.
Most recently, devastating Tropical Storm Karl was all but set to strike on the shoreline in 2013 after terrorising the neighbouring towns and villages.
But at the last moment, radars showed the cyclone taking a sharp turn and completely skipping over the area.
A 71-year-old local called Beatriz García said that during the build up to the storm, her and most of the neighbours had their feet up despite the constant red weather warnings.
She told Vice: “I immediately said they [aliens] are going to protect us.’
“And this is what I believe and trust – that they exist, that there is a base.”
The brutal weather found its way back in line with the weather radar and continued ravaging the Gulf Coast of Mexico.
And this streak of good fortune has meant the legend of Amupac has quickly grown into a widely accepted belief by locals.
They claim the extraterrestrial beings have developed a device capable of using magnetic fields to fend off weather phenomenons.
This layer of protective tech has kept the area protected ever since 1967, they claim.
Dr Rosario Romero, a climate scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, has been baffled by the long-lasting streak of good weather in the area.
But she quickly shot down the idea of aliens manipulating the region.
She said ever-changing weather was more likely to be a reason for the spate of luck.
I immediately said ‘they [aliens] are going to protect us.’ And this is what I believe and trust: that they exist, that there is a base
Beatriz García
Prevailing westerly winds and high pressure subtropical systems are said to drive away hurricanes and push them towards the southern coast of the US.
Dr Romero said people have chosen to forget about serious flooding in 2013 in Tampico.
And earlier this year, Tropical Storm Alberto also affected Tampico.
It reached 50mph as it made landfall near the region.
But it was described as weak and left Tampico virtually unscathed.
Despite experts continuing to discredit any unworldly explanation for steak of good luck, most of the Tampico locals have are convinced of their protectors.
Outsiders who view the idea of alien security as a wacky and far fetched dream are soon left questioning their stance once they step foot in the city.
Dozens of restaurants and shops in the region have taken inspiration from Amupac to suit the beliefs of the alien-loving people.
They sell extraterrestrial-themed stuffed toys and memorabilia from green earrings to eerie, illuminated postcards.
Lots of the local brands and eateries have even picked up martians as their chosen mascots to entice in visitors.
The nearby beach where the alien base is said to be has been dubbed “Playa Protegida” – the “Protected Beach”.
Tampico’s municipal government has even used the theory to launch an annual event.
The last Tuesday in October is celebrated as the “Day of the Martian” where locals gather at the beach to thank the aliens for their protection.
If science doesn’t give us any explanation, we’ll get it by magic. Fantasy is always more attractive than reality
Marco Flores
Tampico historian Marco Flores thinks many locals are well aware of the legend being improbable – but they want something to believe in.
He told The Guardian: “If science doesn’t give us any explanation, we’ll get it by magic.
“Fantasy is always more attractive than reality.”
It comes as locals in Tapico have also claimed to have spotted saucer-shaped UFOs hovering above the supposed alien base back in 2023.
Unexplainable images shared by a crew member onboard an oil rig near the city show a number of strange objects in the sky.
One shows a small aircraft with glowing lights at the bottom of it soaring in the sky.
At least six amber lights can be seen underneath the potential spaceship that is also surrounded by a silver disc.
Another picture shows three illuminated dots in the air making up a peculiar triangle shape.
Both crafts are believed to have suddenly appeared before quickly jetting off and never returning.
