ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY – On 24th October, 1593 AD, Spanish soldier Gil Perez allegedly transported from Manila to Mexico,
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY – On 24th October, 1593 AD, Spanish soldier Gil Perez allegedly transported from Manila to Mexico, as recorded in historic texts written a century after the supposed event. Gil Perez was a Spanish guard who was posted to work at the palace of the Governor General in Manila, Philippines. On 24th October, he was on duty as normal, but was on high alert as Chinese pirates had assassinated the Governor of the Philippines just a day before. As the day grew hotter, Gil began to feel faint and decided to rest against one of the palace walls. To his terror, when he opened his eyes he found himself over 9,000 miles away in the Plaza Mayor of Mexico City. He was quickly arrested – his foreign uniform was seen as a security threat – and interrogated by the Spanish inquisition. After relaying his story, Perez was declared a Satanist and thrown in prison. As the story goes, two months later, a ship coming from Manila arrived in Mexico story with news – the governor gener...