BUT, on the other hand, it is interesting to note that these kinds of beings are not only related to water fountains -and in the case of Yucatán, SUBTERRANEAN water fountains in the form of sacred cenotes- but the little people are sometimes linked with the precolombine god Tlaloc (the god of water) an so his minions are called tlaloques. Have you guys seen a representation of Tlaloc, or his mayan counterpart Chaac? They’re ugly as hell and they always put him wearing these big funky eye glasses, a curvy long nose and even fangs. If a XXIst century human looked at them he would instantly think “vampire” or even “chupacabras”.

And let’s not forget that many (if not most) of the ancient mexican pyramids were built on top of natural subterranean tunnels.

So you have the connection with water and with subterraneam realms too, along with the trickster character of their behavior and the fact that most cultures respect them and are aware that you shouldn’t meddle much with them if you know what’s right for you.

Maybe different enviromental processes could bring about simmilar results as discovered with H. Floresiensis. Maybe an isolation in tunnels systems could develop a small nocturnal new subspecies of small humanoids. Who knows? We do know that inside some cenotes incredibly diverse new species of insects, bats and blind fish have been found ecosystems rich with noxious gases. People keep visiting those caves despite the danger of those fumes to make their rituals and have a connection with “the other side” (Xibalbá)

Or maybe the explanation is more complicated than that

A strong correlation with water in all these traditions; can water facilitate the passage of beings between different “realities”? Pure speculation I know… but still…

Hey Dan, how many glasses of Xtabentún did you have that day?
Just kidding, I’m certain you’re a giving a thorough and veridic account of what you glimpsed.

I had never thought of the Aluxob as a proto-pigmy; I always envisioned them under the same class as all the tryckster-type little people that are accounted in many cultures around the world, maybe inspired by contacts with aliens (yeah I know, but since in many accounts they are told to be able to fly and they were fond of kidnapping women, well… they seem more related with modern abduction lore to me).

In mayan legends, there’s of course the case of “La Pirámide del Enano” (The pyramid of the midget, also called the pyramid of the fortune-teller), because legend has it that the structure was built in a single day by a little man born of an egg (see what I mean?)

http://mx.geocities.com/marioluis_llano/fotos/fotos1/uxmal2.html

Who knows? maybe these beings live in the subterranean tunnels of the cenotes, since the maya had a strong belief in the deities of the Underworld (the ancient ball-game stadiums were symbolic representations of the entrance to the Underworld, where the twin heroes Hunahpú & Ixbalanqué entered to defeat the Lords of Xibalbá).

Or maybe the answer is far more strange…