Podcast Summary: EXTRA ANORMAL

Episode: El Peregrino FANTASMA que visitaba a la VIRGEN de Guadalupe | Relatos

Date: December 12, 2025
Host: Paco Arias (A)
Guest: Oscar Gerber (B)
Duration: ~78 minutes

Overview

This episode of EXTRA ANORMAL dives into spine-chilling tales surrounding faith-based pilgrimages, particularly those related to the revered journeys for the Virgen de Guadalupe. The hosts explore the intermingling of religious devotion and the paranormal, sharing both historic legends and real listener testimonies involving apparitions, curses, and miracles. The episode especially focuses on how the lines between good and evil blur on sacred roads at night, recounting both miraculous and terrifying stories from all over Mexico.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power and Duality of December Traditions

• Nostalgia & Faith: Both hosts reminisce about childhood December traditions, lighting candles for the Virgen de Guadalupe, and how these customs evoke both joy and melancholy.
  • Paco shares, “Hoy les traemos un tema muy relatos de peregrinos, personas que recorren los caminos llevando esta fe inquebrantable, pero que en este lapso, en estos caminos, se toparon con algo que jamás van a poder olvidar.” [03:13]
• Spiritual Vulnerability: The night transforms sacred paths into places of supernatural peril.
  • “Territorios que de día están llenos de rezos y promesas, pero que de noche se convierten en territorio de sombras, de brujas que siguen el rastro de los cansados..." [00:42]
• Cultural Clash: Reflection on religious tensions—respect between different Christian denominations and the persistence of meaningful rituals despite modernity.
  • Oscar: “No es necesario que estemos peleados. Al final creemos en un mismo Dios.” [06:43]

2. Story 1: La Noche en el Cerro del Venado (Martín Salgado, Oaxaca)

• Timestamp: [07:32]–[19:55]
• Synopsis: At 16, Martín embarks on a nighttime pilgrimage to pray for his ailing mother. Alone, he experiences supernatural phenomena inside a remote chapel:
  • Sees the eyes in the statue of the Virgen move.
  • Falls into a paralyzing sleep; dreams of a serpent crawling over his body, biting him, and wakes with mysterious old scars (hands, feet, ribcage).
  • The scars remain for life and ache during Cuaresma and Semana Santa.
  • Priests offer no answers; some locals say it’s a miracle/stigmata, others claim it’s a curse.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “En ese momento yo sentí que hubo un movimiento mínimo, como si los ojos se giraran apenas un poco en la imagen de la Virgen... vi clarísimo como esta imagen movió los ojos.” [10:54]
• Insight:
  • Both hosts argue the experience likely has a darker origin; Paco suggests some devotional images are altered for evil, draining people's energy.
    • “Hay imágenes de la Virgen que no porque representen a la madre de Jesús quiere decir que sea bueno...” [20:46]

3. Story 2: El Juan Hernández y la Voz en la Basílica

• Timestamp: [21:45]–[32:41]
• Synopsis:
  • After losing his mother despite many prayers, Juan turns to alcohol and loses faith. During a reluctant visit to the Basílica, he hears an uncanny, loving voice coaxing him inside.
  • Experiences a surreal, mixed vision involving the Virgen and Juan Diego, then a chilling encounter where a caressing hand suddenly strangles him, commanding him to ‘kill Juan’ (interpreted as a symbolic rebirth).
  • The vision pushes him to sobriety for 26 years.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Siempre te estado esperando y siempre he cuidado de ti, tu mamá está bien.” [26:38]
  • “Si tú quieres estar aquí, es necesario que él crezca, pero que tú mengües.” [28:01]
• Insight:
  • Both hosts discuss how experiences blend mercy and fear, possibly reflecting spiritual "wake-up calls."

4. Story 3: La Culebra en Paso del Macho (Macario Hernández, Veracruz)

• Timestamp: [33:05]–[41:32]
• Synopsis:
  • Macario collects donations with other parishioners. A strange woman in a car gives him a large bill with ominous words ("para la del Tepeyac") and a spit on the ground.
  • The bill is wet, blood-stained, and the family inside (bald, pallid children with aged features) stares at him demonically.
  • Macario is paralyzed by fear and only revived after a fellow pilgrim places a rosary on his forehead.
  • Elders suggest he encountered either death itself or the devil, not simply a strange family.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Eso no fue una familia, hijo... fue la muerte, o el diablo iba manejando.” [40:28]
• Insight:
  • Supernatural encounters don’t just happen at night but also in broad daylight, especially during times of ritual significance. Shared fear among the group is palpable.

5. Story 4: El Milagro de Miriam

• Timestamp: [42:40]–[52:08]
• Synopsis:
  • Joaquín’s daughter, Miriam, suffers from a rare degenerative disease. His aunts encourage prayer and give him a holy card (estampita); he alternates between praying to the Virgen and buying a statuette.
  • Miriam miraculously recovers, but credits her healing not to the Virgen, but to the Santa Muerte, whose image her other aunt gave her.
  • Raises the theme of syncretism in Mexican faith—mixing of saints, deities, and even death personified.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “No fue la virgen... fue la santa que puso su mano en mi frente.” [51:46]
• Insight:
  • The line between divine intervention and other forces is blurred; family is left grateful but unsettled.

6. Story 5: Las Brujas de Chalma (Tomás Villagrán, Tenancingo, Estado de México)

• Timestamp: [52:25]–[68:26]
• Synopsis:
  • Tomás recounts mass pilgrimages to Chalma, a place known for miraculous events. On the road, their group sees balls of fire—interpreted by elders as witches.
  • That night, a young mother’s baby vanishes after Tomás dreams of a fiery creature transforming into a bird and taking the child.
  • Locals believe these “brujas” prey on vulnerable pilgrims, especially those who are not spiritually prepared.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Ahora entiendo por qué muchos dicen que en Chalma si no vas con fe, el camino te cobra.” [62:45]
• Insight:
  • Pilgrimages are both moments of faith and profound danger; sometimes supernatural events are viewed as the road taking its “toll” on the unprepared.

7. Story 6: El Peregrino Fantasma de Puebla (Berna, ingeniero agrónomo)

• Timestamp: [68:34]–[74:47]
• Synopsis:
  • While driving his supply truck, Berna picks up a group of tired pilgrims, has a friendly conversation, and drops them off at a gas station.
  • The station attendant and local staff reveal he was the latest to interact with “phantoms,” as the family he’d just transported died in a tragic accident years before.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “Aquí está Nacho, Don Nacho, Nacho y su familia... esas personas en una peregrinación perdieron la vida en ese tramo.” [74:03]
• Insight:
  • Ghostly pilgrims replay their journeys eternally, testament to the perilous roads and the devotion (and risk) of Mexican traditions.

Notable Quotes

• “Territorios que de día están llenos de rezos y promesas, pero que de noche se convierten en territorio de sombras...” — Paco Arias [00:42]
• “Hay marcas que no se cuestionan y hay sacrificios que todavía debes determinar, haz penitencia, busca indulgencias.” — Padre Raimundo (reported by Martín) [15:18]
• “Siempre te está esperando y siempre ha cuidado de ti, tu mamá está bien.” — Voz a Juan en la Basílica [26:38]
• “Si tú quieres estar aquí, es necesario que él crezca, pero que tú mengües… Matarlo. ¿A quién? A Juan. ¿A qué Juan? A ti mismo.” — Visión de Juan [28:01]
• “Aquí te va una ofrenda para la del Tepeyac.” — Mujer siniestra (relato de Macario) [38:18]
• “Es que no fue la virgen…” — Miriam, hija de Joaquín [51:46]
• “...en Chalma si no vas con fe, el camino te cobra.” — Tomás, sobre las peregrinaciones [62:45]
• “Esas personas en una peregrinación perdieron la vida en ese tramo...” — Empleada gasolinera a Berna [74:10]

Important Timestamps

• [00:42] — Introduction: Setting the supernatural tone of the episode
• [07:32] — Story 1: La Noche en el Cerro del Venado
• [21:45] — Story 2: Experiencia sobrenatural de Juan Hernández
• [33:05] — Story 3: La Culebra en Paso del Macho
• [42:40] — Story 4: El milagro (o no) de Miriam
• [52:25] — Story 5: Las brujas de Chalma y el terror colectivo
• [68:34] — Story 6: El peregrino fantasma de Puebla
• [74:47] — Reflection: The chilling impact of “phantom” pilgrims

Tone & Language

EXTRA ANORMAL keeps a casually reverential, authentic conversational tone—warm, nostalgic, sometimes skeptical but always deeply respectful of Mexican religious and folkloric roots. The hosts balance personal anecdotes with listener testimonies and historic context, weaving together themes of faith, fear, and the unexplainable. The approach is empathetic, inviting both believers and skeptics to ponder what lies beyond the limits of logic.

Closing Thoughts

The episode masterfully entwines faith, horror, and the everyday struggles of believers—showing that, especially in Mexico, the sacred and the supernatural co-exist, sometimes in disturbing ways. Whether one believes in miracles, curses, or simply in the enduring power of tradition, the stories serve as both cautionary tales and testimonies to the unseen dangers and blessings awaiting on the roads of devotion.

Hosts’ Final Advice:
Take care during pilgrimages, respect the traditions, and be aware that sometimes, on sacred roads, “lo inexplicable cobra vida” (“the inexplicable comes alive”).