MESOAMERICAN “SKY PEOPLE” - review

Sky People - Untold Stories of Alien Encounters in Mesoamerica, Ardy Sixkiller Clarke, New Page Books, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2015, 320pp, $17.99.

Mesoamerica extends approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and northern Costa Rica. Dr. Clark was inspired by the travels of John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, who, in the early 1800s, introduced the world to cities of the Maya. From 2003 through 2010 Dr. Clarke traveled through Mesoamerica. As she followed in Stephens’ and Catherwood’s footsteps, visiting ancient cities and temples, Dr. Clarke met people who told her about UFOs and people from the sky. Each chapter of Sky People is the story of a person who saw, was abducted by, or interacted with beings who came from the sky.

        We frequently see news stories about UFOs over Mesoamerica, and most are explained away as hoaxes, planes, natural weather phenomena, etc. If you were to talk to the indigenous people of the area, however, the “explanation” would be different. Dr. Clarke notes that, “…people who do not know much about the phenomenon tell very similar stories…” People in Mexico told her many of the same stories as people in Honduras and Beliz.

        A recurring theme that Dr. Clarke heard again and again—from different people in very different locales—was that the Sky People were their ancestors. Unlike other cultures, “[t]he Maya say that when they reached Mesoamerica, they brought their knowledge with them … [t]hey have no myths of great teachers or individuals who taught them how to live.” They came from the sky. Dr. Clarke was told, “the Sky People and the Maya are the same.” 

        This is so different from our history texts, which tell us the Maya were backward people who revered the Spaniards as “gods”. They did not. Over time, they forgot their heritage and their knowledge. As one man explained, “All great civilizations collapse whether through war, famine, or a weather event … Five thousand years from now a scientist may unearth the Statue of Liberty and speculate that she was the goddess of flame who brought fire to the world.”

        The people who talked to Dr. Clarke had nothing to gain. They wanted to share their stories, and felt comfortable talking to her because she, like them, is indigenous, though from the U.S.

        The stories are told in the words of the people who experienced the events. Dr. Clarke was told about aluxes (small people), blue people, people who walk backwards, and others that came (and still come) in ships from the sky. The stories of abductions are similar to those related around the world, including missing time, memory lapses, and experimentation.

        Dr. Clarke points out that “the Inca of Peru, and the Maya in Mesoamerica, among others, all demonstrated an inordinate knowledge of the stars and had in their possession star maps … When Columbus set forth on his voyage … the Maya…were…aware of the planets Venus, Uranus, and Neptune...” How is this possible? Did they have first-hand knowledge of the universe?

        Sky People is a remarkable book whether you have a marginal interest in UFOs or avidly keep up with the latest news. It is a fascinating and informative read. The single drawback is, I wish there were photographs.

        As you read, you may find yourself asking, “Why don’t the Maya share their knowledge of the sky people?” One elder explained to Dr. Clarke: “…the real knowledge is too dangerous to share … The general public is not ready for it.” I wonder when (if) we will be ready.

                 - Karen Howard