Mexican president posts photo of what he claims is a Maya elf

Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the photo appeared to show an alux, a creature from Yucatán folklore

Mexico’s president posted a photo on his social media accounts on Saturday showing what he said appeared to be a mythological woodland spirit similar to an elf.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador did not seem to be joking when he posted the photo of an alux, a mischievous woodland spirit in Maya folklore.

López Obrador wrote that the photo “was taken three days ago by an engineer, it appears to be an alux”, adding: “everything is mystical”.

The night-time photo shows a tree with a branch forming what looks like a halo of hair, and what may be stars forming the figure’s eyes.

López Obrador has long expressed reverence for indigenous cultures and beliefs. Work is under way in in the Yucatán peninsula to construct a tourist train that is the president’s pet project.

According to traditional Maya belief, aluxes are small, mischievous creatures that inhabit forests and fields and are prone to playing tricks on people, such as hiding things. Some people leave small offerings to appease them.

The ancient Maya civilisation reached its height from AD300 to AD900 on the Yucatán peninsula and in adjacent parts of Central America, but the descendants of the Maya still live on the peninsula.

Many still speak Mayan languages and wear 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.