Deep in the Chihuahuan Desert in northern Mexico lies a mysterious area known as the Mapimí Zone of Silence, where legend has it radio signals and other forms of communication can’t be received.
The Zone of Silence developed its supernatural reputation in the 1970s, after a failed rocket test by the US Air Force led to a large clean-up operation. Rumour has it that magnetic anomalies – either in the ground or the atmosphere – caused the rocket crash, as well as the communication failures that gave the Zone of Silence its name.
People have also reported strange lights in the sky, weird mutated plants and animals, and even alien sightings. Tourists flock from around the world to witness these strange phenomena.
Unfortunately, it appears that the truth of Mapimí is a lot more mundane than the myth. The legend was invented by locals hoping to leverage the rocket crash to attract tourism money to the area.
The Zone of Silence is located within the Mapimí Biosphere Reserve, a biological research station that was established a few years after the rocket crash. This helped to fuel rumours that the zone of silence had extraterrestrial significance, but it turns out that the only scientific interest in the area is biological.
The reserve is home to 200 species of bird, over 400 plant species and 36 species of reptile. Researchers at the reserve say that they’ve never had any issues with radio communication and it’s likely the mutated animals people claim to have seen are just part of the unique biodiversity of the site.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Will Booth, Cambridge) 'What is Mexico's Zone of Silence'
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