The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, claims that Mayan elf exist and even posted a photo that he believes confirms the existence of the creature

The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, claims that elves exist and even posted a photo that he believes confirms the existence of the creature.

Mexico’s president posted an eerie jungle photo over the weekend that he suggested had captured a mythical Mayan elf.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador — known to cherish indigenous cultures and beliefs — tweeted out the pic on his account and said the grainy image “appears to be an aluxe,” a reference to a mischievous critter that exists only in ancient Mayan folklore.

He said the photo was shot by one of the many Mexican engineers working in the jungles of the Yucatan peninsula to scope out a train line for tourists, one of his pet projects.

López Obrador has long expressed reverence for indigenous cultures and beliefs. Engineers and workers are in the Yucatan peninsula, constructing a tourist train that is the president’s pet project.

According to traditional Mayan belief, “Aluxes” are small, mischievous creatures that inhabit forests and fields and are prone to playing tricks on people, like hiding things. Some people leave small offerings to appease them.

The ancient Mayan civilization reached its height from 300 A.D. to 900 A.D. on the Yucatan Peninsula and in adjacent parts of Central America, but the Mayas’ descendants continue to live on the peninsula.

Many continue speaking the Mayan language and wearing traditional clothing, while also conserving traditional foods, crops, religion and medicine practices, despite the conquest of the region by the Spanish between 1527 and 1546.