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Remembering August 3rd, in Memoriam

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Published by Aaron Perez 8/3/2026 Image Credit: https://www.ktsm.com/news/el-paso-strong/remembering-those-we-lost-august-3/ In this day we mourn. On August 3, 2019, a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, claimed the lives of 23 people. We remember them by name and age: Andre Pablo Anchondo, 23 Jordan Anchondo, 24 Arturo Benavidez, 60 Leonardo Cipeda Campos Jr., 41 Maribel Loya Campos, 56 María Flores, 77 Raúl Flores, 77 Jorge Calvillo García, 61 Adolfo Cerros Hernández, 68 Alexander Gerhard Hoffman, 66 David Alvah Johnson, 63 Luis Alfonzo Juarez, 90 María Eugenia Legarreta Rothe, 58 Elsa Mendoza de la Mora, 57 Ivan Filiberto Manzano, 46 Gloria Irma Márquez, 61 Margie Reckard, 63 Sara Esther Regalado Moriel, 66 Javier Amir Rodriguez, 15 Teresa Sanchez, 82 Angelina Silva Englisbee, 86 Juan de Dios Velázquez Chairez, 77 Guillermo “Memo” Garcia, 36 May their memories be a blessing

The Ghost Girl of Mexico City International Airport (AICM)

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Published By Aaron Perez 8/01/2026 Image Credit: https://skytraxratings.com/airports/mexico-city-international-airport-rating      Mexico City International Airport—long known as Benito Juárez and now officially AICM—is one of Latin America’s busiest hubs. Amid the constant roar of jet engines, the rush of travelers, and the fluorescent glare of terminals, a quieter, stranger story has circulated for years among security staff, maintenance workers, and night-shift employees: the legend of the niña fantasma , or ghost girl. The Legend      According to accounts shared by airport personnel, the apparition is a young girl, roughly 5 to 8 years old. She is often described carrying a ball (sometimes specified as red), with her shoelaces untied. In some versions she approaches workers and politely asks them to tie her laces. In others she is simply seen playing or wandering. She appears most frequently in restricted zones, especially the “cementerio de avi...

The Mapimí Silent Zone

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Published by Aaron Perez 7/31/2026 Image Credit: https://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/03/zona-del-silencio-urban-legend-of-zone.html      Deep in the Chihuahuan Desert of northern Mexico lies a stretch of arid land that has captured imaginations for decades. Known as the Mapimí Silent Zone— La Zona del Silencio —this remote patch near the Bolsón de Mapimí (overlapping the Mapimí Biosphere Reserve) sits roughly where the states of Durango, Chihuahua, and Coahuila meet. Coordinates place it around 26°41′N 103°45′W. Locals and visitors call it Mexico’s answer to the Bermuda Triangle: a place where radio signals supposedly vanish, compasses spin wildly, meteorites rain down with unusual frequency, and strange lights or even tall blond “alien” figures appear.      The reality is far more grounded—and in some ways more interesting—than the myths. Ancient Seabed, Modern Mystique      Millions of years ago, this region formed part of an ancient...

V2 Missile that hit Ciudad Juarez in 1947

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Published by Aaron Perez 7/29/2026 Image Credit: https://pioneersofflight.si.edu/content/v-2-rocket      On the evening of May 29, 1947, a modified German V-2 rocket (part of the U.S. Hermes II program) launched from White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico veered off course, flew over El Paso, Texas, and slammed into the ground near Ciudad Juárez, Mexico—close to what was then (and remains) Tepeyac Cemetery (Panteón Tepeyac / El Tepeyac).      The impact created a large crater in a then-sparsely populated rocky area roughly 3–3.5 miles south of Juárez’s business district and about half a mile south of the cemetery. No one was killed or seriously injured, but the blast rattled buildings across both cities, broke windows, stopped clocks, and briefly sparked panic and wild rumors of explosions or worse. Background: Captured Rockets and Early Cold War Testing      After World War II, the United States brought V-2 rocket components and Ge...

The Cobalt-60 Incident in Ciudad Juarez

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Published by Aaron Perez 7/28/2026, Edited 7/29/2026 Image Credit: The New York Times      In the ranking of history’s worst radioactive disasters, most people immediately think of Chernobyl (1986), Fukushima (2011), or Three Mile Island (1979). Far fewer know about the major radiological accident that began in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, in December 1983—an event so serious it is still called “el Chernóbil mexicano.” It involved no reactor meltdown, no explosion, and no dramatic mushroom cloud. Instead, a single abandoned radiotherapy unit set off a chain of contamination that spread cobalt-60 across half of Mexico and into the United States, exposing an estimated 4,000 people and forcing the demolition of hundreds of buildings. How a Life-Saving Machine Became a Hazard      In November 1977, the private Centro Médico de Especialidades in Ciudad Juárez purchased a Picker C-3000 teletherapy unit from a U.S. company. The machine contained a sealed source of cob...

Organ Mountains

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Published by Aaron Perez 6/25/2026 Image Credit: Visit Las Cruces      The Organ Mountains rise dramatically east of Las Cruces, New Mexico, their jagged, pipe-like spires giving the range its name. Part of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, these peaks offer stunning hikes, dramatic desert vistas, and a rich layer of history. But as the sun sets and shadows lengthen across the canyons, a different atmosphere takes hold—one filled with legends of restless spirits, a murdered hermit, and the echoes of suffering from a long-abandoned tuberculosis sanatorium. Dripping Springs: Resort to Ruins and Restless Souls      One of the most prominent sites for paranormal lore in the Organ Mountains is Dripping Springs Natural Area , about 10 miles east of Las Cruces. The area features the ruins of a once-luxurious mountain resort and later a tuberculosis sanatorium.      In the late 1800s, Eugene Van Patten (a former Confederate soldi...

The Underground Bus of El Paso

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 Published by Aaron Perez 6/18/2026, Updated 7/29/2026 Image Credit: https://www.ktsm.com/news/local-news/70-year-old-who-kidnapped-bus-full-of-children-buried-them-alive-approved-for-parole/ The Underground Bus of El Paso: Legend of a Buried Haunting      Deep in the desert on the far Eastside of El Paso, Texas, lies one of the city's most chilling urban legends: an abandoned school bus buried underground. Known locally as the "Underground Bus" or "Buried School Bus," this site has drawn curious explorers, ghost hunters, and thrill-seekers for years. Part tragedy, part horror story, the tale blends grief, madness, and the supernatural. Whether it's pure folklore or something more sinister, it remains a staple of El Paso spooky lore. The Legend: A Father's Descent into Madness      The story typically dates back to the 1950s. A man loses his young daughter—often described as a 6-year-old with blue eyes and blonde hair—in a tragic school bus acc...