The Alux Part One: Get Shorty

^{Article written by Phillip LaPalme. Title Illustration by Phillip LaPalme. Edited by Willow Coyle. All Rights Reserved.} 

The areas of the Yucatán Peninsula: Mexico and Guatemala are home to a Mayan entity known as the Alux (pronounced “Ah-loosh”, Plural "Aluxo'ob"). Alux are described as being from knee-height up to 3 feet tall and are likened to goblins or elves. Typically, they’re said to be invisible though they will show themselves from time to time either to instill fear in people, or to congregate with humans — When visible they’re said to look like miniature Mayans in traditional clothing. Their ears have hole expansions (similar to those for ear gauges), which allows them to ward off lies. Some are even said to have deer legs with the feet of a lizard allowing them swift, light movement (here we go again with the weird feet). Other descriptions liken them to sprites or fairy-like beings. There are times when they may appear as animals such as coati, macaws, iguanas and other animals as a way to scare away humans or blend into their environment. Their large eyes are said to be the eyes of an owl, giving them night-vision. The Alux often inhabit jungles and forests, fields and caves. They’re usually helpful, protective beings; however, they have a mischievous and even vengeful side — With the temperament of a child, they can be quick to anger. Let’s find out more about this diminutive Duende.

^{Clay figure of an Alux — Artist/Photographer unknown}

Little Man, Big Temper

Figures of the Alux are created with clay and feature exquisite detail. A farmer or villager can obtain one of these statuettes and place it on their property either under the oldest tree or in a specially made home for the Alux known as a Kahtal Alux. The farmer or villager must then bring food and water to the effigy on a daily basis until it disappears — At this point the Alux is considered to be alive and will protect the property, crops and the family for a period of 7 years. After the 7 year period, the Alux may decide to stay on the property, depending on what it has to offer. However, it’s recommended that you seal up their home with the creature inside, as it is common for them to turn into mischievous tricksters — Talk about planned obsolescence!

The Alux gives back what it receives, so if treated with respect and given offerings, you can expect protection and plentiful harvests. On the other hand, if treated poorly, the little spirit will wreak havoc in the night causing noisy disturbances, important items may disappear, illness may come upon the offender and crops will fail — events which sound eerily similar to poltergeist phenomena.

Should someone become the victim of a furious Alux, there are only a couple methods to rid them of the entity’s ire- both of which employ the help of a shaman. The shaman must appease the spirit through a ceremony involving special offerings which brings peace or if they want to be rid of it for good, they offer the Alux a “special concoction”. Once consumed by the Alux, the concoction causes diarrhea. The farmer/ villager can then follow the disgusting trail which will eventually lead to the Alux and at this point the clay figure can be shattered with a rock destroying the entity and any harmful effects it has caused. Makes you wonder what's in the "concoction"... 

Many Mayans make offerings to the Alux for protection before venturing into the jungle or for good luck with their farming. Legend also tells us that an Alux will sometimes appear to travelers or farmers requesting an offering. Should the person refuse, the Alux will spread illness by way of swirling winds which produce “bad air”— causing never-ending fevers and chills... is there a shaman in the house??

^{Mayan Art Depicting Little People Which Could be images of the Alux Photographer unknown}

Family Across the Pond

The Alux shares many commonalities with the European lore of faeries and household deities — Some attribute the legends of the Alux to Spanish and/or other European influences beginning in the 1500s. Perhaps pirates from the British Isles brought stories from their hometowns to the Mayans. There may have even been a blend of pre-existing Mesoamerican lore and European tales that gave way to stories of the Alux. Any or all of these explanations are plausible; however, most Mayans will point to ancient, Pre-Columbian art depicting little people that they believe to be the Alux . There are quite a few instances of little people in Mayan, Aztec and Olmec art, though it’s not certain whether these images portray supernatural beings or simply humans with Dwarfism-- who were revered as such. 

Icy-land Lore
The Alux appears to have a Nordic cousin in elf form. In an article for Mysterious Universe, Miguel Romero relays a quote from Bryndís Björgvinsdóttir, a writer and folklorist at the Iceland Academy of Arts. She states, “There are many stories of machines breaking down and workers becoming ill when they interfere with elf rocks … The elves are seen as friendly, beautiful creatures, but you have to respect them, or they will take their revenge”. As belief in elves is prevalent in Iceland, a respect for them comes into play even in construction — Iceland often designs its roadways with consideration for the elves so as not to disturb them and incite their rage.

Alux’ob play a role similar to that of household deities, which can be found across the globe, whose purpose it is to protect the home and household members. Whether it’s the Slavic Domovoy or the Anglo-Scottish Brownie, these spirits have shrines made for them and offers given in exchange for protection and prosperity.
Have these legends spread from one village to another, country to country and hopped continents, seeping into everyone’s lore — or have these beings always existed on earth? The world has many pint-sized forest spirits that can be helpful as well as mischievous and the similarities cannot be ignored.

Bridge Trolls and... Elton John??

^{Casa de Los Aluxes in Cancún, Mexico prior to demolition                Unknown Photographer}

Contemporary belief in the Alux’ob still hold sway — Belief is not only present in the general population of Central America, but even in government. In the 1990s, when Mexico began construction on a bridge in Cancún connecting the airport to the hotel zone, construction hit weird roadblocks almost immediately. The morning after construction commenced, workers arrived to see that their initial structure had collapsed. They assumed the destruction had been the work of vandals, though no suspects were ever apprehended. The third day of work brought another structural collapse and workers decided to stand guard overnight hoping to catch the criminal(s) in the act; what they witnessed terrified them all. The Yucatán Times reported that, “To the amazement and the fear of the masons, they saw how at night, small beings were given the task of destroying the construction with their hands and ancient tools”. One worker relayed that, “what they saw were not goblins or demons, but the legendary ‘Aluxes’, and as they are the guardians of the sacred lands, humans need to request their permission to build the bridge or any other work on their land”. Sound familiar? It was decided that they would have a Mayan priest perform a ceremony, requesting permission from the Alux to proceed with construction. On the advice of the priest, a Kahtl Alux was built under the bridge which was named Casa de Los Aluxes. The ritual was carried out and construction moved on unfettered. Unfortunately, local authorities decided to remodel the road and on July 3rd, 2022 Casa de Los Aluxes was destroyed — Not a good move, given the lore. 

^{"In ruins...The damaged stage being set up for Elton John's April 3 concert near the Mayan pyramids of southern Mexico." CREDIT:REUTERS}

Another peculiar incident, often attributed to the Alux’ob, occurred on April 1st, 2010 at the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. Elton John was set to perform a concert in the legendary (and sacred) ruins in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico the following Saturday and setup for the production did not go well. During setup for the show, the stage collapsed, injuring 3 workers... one of which was hospitalized for a broken leg. In an interview for Reforma Daily, Yucatán State Public Works Secretary Francisco Torres stated, “With each concert, in the early morning, a ritual is performed to ask for permission, and this time it was not done”. Many Mayans and anthropologists were thoroughly disgusted with the idea of a concert being performed on this ancient, sacred sight (as it should have been). Luckily, no damage had been done to the ruins. It would appear that whether or not you believe in the Alux’ob, it doesn’t hurt to appease them.

Whatever the Alux may be, they’re important to the Mayans, as are the rituals surrounding them just like with the similar entities we’ve learned about elsewhere in the world. Tying these stories from different cultures together and drawing the connections, helps us to better understand the hidden world around us. Even if there aren’t little gnomes and fairies running amok on earth, the power of belief, ritual and intention can have physical effects. As recent history has shown us, there seems to be some power behind the Alux’ob, even if you don’t believe in them. As it's said in the 1979 Italian film Zombie, “It never pays to ignore local superstition” — Even if you don’t believe in the given source of a phenomenon it doesn’t mean there isn’t something going on…