The Disappearance of Ambrose Bierce
I'm not saying it was Aliens but... it was Aliens.
Some of those who completed k-12 schooling in the US will already be familiar with the writer Ambrose Bierce as his short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is often required reading at one point or another. Ambrose was a prolific novelist, short story writer, and journalist most known for his caustic wit and ghostly or supernatural stories (often times referencing the civil war). Ambrose himself had enlisted at the beginning of the American Civil War and took part in some of the most brutal battles, which served as fodder for his later writings. In 1864 he even sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was shortly thereafter discharged.
Bitter Bierce or Almighty God Bierce (Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce)
After his military career he went on to become a highly influential journalist, at one point even working for William Randolph Hearst’s newspaper the San Franciso Examiner. His particular brand of journalism was social satire (hence the nickname Bitter Bierce).
Aside from his enormous success as a journalist he also became a literary writer, most known for his short stories such as An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical dictionary The Devil’s Dictionary. I might talk about this at another time because it is wickedly funny but thats not the point of this post.
Disappearance
In 1913, at the age of 71, Ambrose set off for Mexico and was said to accompany Pancho Villa to the city of Chihuahua before disappearing. One of his last known correspondences dated in December was to his relative Laura:
Good-bye — if you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags please know that I think that a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico — ah, that is euthanasia!
Ancient Aliens
On season 9 episode 9 of the show Ancient Aliens, the bozo show commentators proposed that in his final days Ambrose went to Mexico to meet F. A. Mitchell-Hedges in regards to a mystical crystal skull.
Lets pivot to the crystal skull thing real quick
So you might remember the Indiana Jones movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which makes use of the bizarre crystal skull theory. Some people did, and do, believe that the approx dozen quartz crystal skulls that have been found all around the world are ancient in origins and are inconceivably perfect in carving and detail considering the lack of technology available at the purported time of their creation. This strange anachronism led people to believe that they were formed by extraterrestrial or supernatural means. There have been many claims regarding their powers such as their ability to time travel, cure cancer, and induce visions and premonitions (one lady said one of the crystal skulls informed her of the JFK assassination before it happened).
The discovery of all of these mystical skulls suspiciously took place around the late 19th century which coincides with the period of time in which there was a highly successful trade of fake pre-Columbian artifacts going on. The timing also aligns with the West’s new obsession with all things “exotic” and “esoteric” (perfect tie in to my substack posts on spiritualism and Egyptomania…).
Please, please, PLEASE watch the video below that aired when Dan Ackroyd first launched his Crystal Head vodka. It is both bizarre and informative on the myths of the crystal skulls.
Spoiler alert, the skulls are not ancient in origin. Tests have found that these skulls were manufactured in the mid-19th century and experts have even localized where they were likely made; in German workshops in the town of Idar-Oberstein, which was “renowned for crafting objects made from imported Brazilian quartz in the late 19th century”.
Okay back to aliens
Anyways, there is no evidence that Ambrose did meet or even intend to meet Mitchell-Hedges about the crystal skull that Hedges famously “discovered” and wrote a book about (The White Tiger) a few years earlier. However, that didn’t stop some random person from writing a whole book about their alleged meet-up (pictured below).
The Ancient Alien crack-heads claim that due to the crystal skull’s strange powers, Ambrose was possibly transported to some other dimension or planet to hang out with some aliens…
You see, after Ambrose got shot in the head he developed some sort of sixth sense that allowed him to communicate with aliens, who used him as a tool to get humans used to the idea of the existence of aliens through Ambrose’s writing. They told him to write these supernatural stories to prepare humans for the day when they would come into contact with extraterrestrial beings. After he completed that mission with his various short stories they thought it was time to meet up IRL.
What really happened?
Well obviously, we don’t know. Some speculate he intentionally disappeared to start a new life. At the time of his disappearance his personal life was not going well. Other people think he committed suicide. Whereas a priest, James Lienert, said a local rumor was that he was executed by a firing squad in the town’s cemetery because he was thought to be a spy. If you believe the aliens picked him for a butt probing session, please share your findings.
If you’re interested in a fictional retelling of Ambrose’s last days, check out Old Gringo by Carlos Fuentes.