October 1593.
A Spanish soldier named Gil Perez, who was guarding the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila, was mysteriously stranded in the city of Mexico in an instant. Some believe that the incident is related to witchcraft, alien abduction, or teleportation.
One night on October 24, 1593, a soldier named Gil Perez was guarding the Palacio del Gobernador inside Intramuros in Manila. The Palacio del Gobernador was then the home of the appointed governors-general in the Philippines before the official home was transferred to the Malacanan Palace. Earlier that night, Chinese pirates killed the country's seventh and current governor-general Gomez Perez Dasmariñas on an expedition to the Moluccas. Then Palacio guard began to feel dizzy and tired. He leaned against the wall for a moment and rested. When he looked up, he was shocked to find himself stranded in Mexico City in an instant! Manila is thousands of kilometers away from Mexico so he was just amazed at how he got there. Perez did not know where he was after opening his eyes so he asked questions. It was there that he realized he was in the Plaza Mayor (now Zocalo) in Mexico City, Mexico.
He was found by some guards assigned to Mexico City and began to question Perez for his unusual uniform compared to the uniforms worn by Mexican guards. At that time, the Mexicans were unaware of the news of the assassination of Governor-general Dasmariñas.
He was presented to the authorities, including Viceroy of New Spain Luis de Velasco. Although shocked and still confused by the events, Perez answered all his interrogations. There Perez described the events including the news of Dasmariñas' murder. He announced that he was just guarding the Palacio del Gobernador and he knew he was no longer in Manila.
There was no case against Viceroy for Perez's statement until the priests intervened. Perez was taken to the Holy Office of the Inquisition, where he underwent interrogation series. From Mexico, he was taken to Santo Domingo in the Caribbean where he was imprisoned by the authorities on the accusation that Perez was sent by the Devil. As a loyal soldier, Perez cooperated with the authorities. He added that he would rather be imprisoned than fight the Filipinos. Because Perez proved to be a devout and religious Christian, he was acquitted but remained in custody until a decision was made for him.
A few months later, the news of Dasmariñas' death reached Mexico from the galleon from Manila. One of the galleon passengers met Perez and said he even saw Perez a day after the assassination of the governor-general. The passenger said that Perez was indeed a soldier in Manila and that he had not been found in Manila since he disappeared one night in October 1593. The Inquisition proved that Perez was only a victim of a supernatural force. As a result, Perez was released and returned to Manila.
Gil Perez's story was recorded by various writers including Washington Irving, Luis Obregon, Antonio de Morga, and even Jose Rizal.
Thomas Allibone Janvier, an American folklorist, retold the legend in an edition of Harper’s Magazine in December 1908. He also gave the name of the soldier Gil Perez. Janvier's report is based on Mexican folklorist Luis Gonzalez Obregon's "Un aparecido" (An apparition) published in the Mexican Viejo collection: Noticias historicas, tradiciones, leyendas y costumbres "in the 1900s.
Obregon based his publication on the account of Fray Gaspar de San Agustin in 1698. San Agustin said that the events were true, and he related what happened to Perez in witchcraft.
To this day, it is still puzzling how Perez landed in Mexico. Perez's case was one of the first teleportation records in the world. Some say the story is fictional because if Dasmariñas was killed before the night of Perez's disappearance, it would be impossible for the people in the galleon (who allegedly testified to Perez's accounts) to know it because the journey from Manila to Manila counts for years Mexico. There are various records on the date of Dasmariñas' death. However, there is also evidence of Perez's story. There are documents that allegedly prove them located in Mexico. Today, it is still a big question as to whether this incident is a fact or a myth.
Source and Referrence
[3] Manila Standard Lifestyle (February 14, 2020), 5 mysteries in Philippine history
[4] Martin, M. G. (July 24, 2018), Mysteries of the Philippines: The teleportation of Gil Perez
[5] Raposas, Al (August 8, 2019), Ancient Teleporter or Errant Soldier? The Curious Case of Gil Perez
nice article sir