The legend tells that on October 24, 1593, the soldier Gil Pérez was guarding the Governor’s palace in Manila, General Captaincy of the Philippines. The previous night, Governor Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas had been killed by Chinese pirates at sea, but the guards still protected the palace and awaited the proclamation of a new governor. However, Gil Pérez began to feel dizzy, leaned against the wall, and rested by closing his eyes.
A few seconds later, he found himself in an unfamiliar place: Mexico City, in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, thousands of kilometers away from the Philippines. Some guards found him in his strange uniform and started asking him who he was and what he did. It’s worth noting that the news of the governor’s assassination in Manila was still unknown to the Mexicans. According to reports, only Gil Díaz knew about his death.
As a result, authorities imprisoned him for desertion and accused him of being a servant of the devil. Months later, news of the governor’s death reached Mexico on a galleon from the Philippines. Furthermore, one of the passengers recognized the imprisoned soldier and said he had seen him in the city of Manila a day after the Governor’s death. Finally, Gil Pérez was released from prison and allowed to return home.
TYT Newsroom