Quick Facts

Location: El Yunque rainforest, Puerto Rico Main photographic location: La Mina Falls / La Mina Cascada Photographic date: March 1993 Approximate time: 6:30 p.m. Photographer: Joaquín Ruiz Camera owner: Nelson Berríos Camera: 35mm Concord Film: 400 ASA, 24 exposures Photographs taken: Approximately 7–8 according to Ruiz Reported unusual figure: Appeared in at least four photographs Investigator who published the case: Jorge Martín Miranda Main publication: Evidencia OVNI, special El Yunque issue, 1996 Later publication: Flying Saucer Review Scientific confirmation of a creature: None

The original published account says the men did not notice anything unusual while taking the photographs; the alleged figure was reportedly noticed only after the film was developed.

Introduction

Deep inside Puerto Rico's tropical El Yunque rainforest lies one of the more unusual photographic claims in UFO literature.

In March 1993, two young men, Nelson Berríos and Joaquín Ruiz, visited the area around La Mina Falls with friends.

Ruiz used Berríos's 35mm Concord camera to photograph the scenery and people around the waterfall.

Neither man reportedly noticed anything unusual at the time.

But when the film was developed, the laboratory allegedly noticed something strange in several photographs.

A small figure appeared near a rock.

According to the account later published by UFO investigator Jorge Martín, the figure appeared to have a humanoid shape, a pale or pinkish appearance, large/deep-set eyes and unusual hair-like material on its head.

The photographs became known within UFO circles as evidence of a possible humanoid presence in El Yunque.

But there is a crucial limitation:

The photographs have never been scientifically established as photographs of an unknown creature.

El Yunque National Forest

El Yunque is a real tropical rainforest in northeastern Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Forest Service describes it as the only tropical rainforest within the U.S. National Forest System.

The forest covers nearly 29,000 acres and extends across several municipalities in northeastern Puerto Rico.

Its steep terrain, dense vegetation, rivers and waterfalls make it an extraordinary natural environment.

La Mina is one of the forest's recreation areas.

The landscape is therefore important to the story because dense vegetation, shadows, rocks, flowing water and changing light can make visual identification difficult.

The 1993 La Mina Falls Photograph Case

The Visit

According to Jorge Martín's published account, the incident occurred on an afternoon in March 1993.

Berríos and four other friends were visiting the area around Las Minas Falls, described in the account as a popular waterfall and swimming area.

At approximately 6:30 p.m., Berríos was swimming.

He asked his friend Joaquín Ruiz to use his camera to take photographs.

Ruiz agreed.

The camera was a 35mm Concord camera that Berríos had purchased from a department store.

The film inside was reportedly a 24-exposure roll of 400 ASA film.

How Many Photographs Were Taken?

Ruiz later said that he had taken approximately seven or eight photographs.

This is important because the strange figure was not supposedly visible in only one isolated frame.

According to the published account, the figure appeared in at least four photographs.

The men reportedly did not notice the figure while taking the photographs.

That is one of the main reasons the case became interesting to UFO investigators.

The Film Was Developed

After the visit, Berríos took the film to a photographic laboratory in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

According to the account, the laboratory personnel noticed something unusual in several photographs.

They reportedly asked Berríos about a strange object or figure visible toward the side of the images.

Berríos and Ruiz then examined the photographs themselves.

They claimed that something resembling a small humanoid could be seen near one of the rocks.

The men said they had not noticed a person or creature in that location when the photographs were taken.

What Did the Figure Look Like?

The description comes from the witnesses and Jorge Martín's publication, rather than from a scientific identification.

The figure was described as:

• Small
• Roughly child-sized
• Humanoid in appearance
• Pale or pale-pink in color
• Having prominent/deep-set oval eyes
• Having unusual facial features
• Having strange light-colored hair or fuzz on its head

Jorge Martín's English-language account describes the figure as having pale-pink skin and unusual, straw-like hair standing upward from its head.

Ruiz reportedly described it as approximately the size of a child and having deep-set oval eyes and wrinkled-looking features.

The Figure Was Behind a Rock

The alleged creature was reportedly positioned near a rock beside the waterfall.

The important claim was that it appeared to be partially concealed.

Only part of the figure could supposedly be seen.

This made the photographs difficult to interpret because the figure was relatively small compared with the entire scene.

The published account says the figure appeared in several frames while remaining in approximately the same area.

Why Didn't the Witnesses See It?

This is one of the central questions.

Ruiz was physically present and looking through the camera while taking the photographs.

Yet he reportedly saw nothing unusual.

The witnesses later suggested that the creature might have been hiding behind the rock.

The original article records the witnesses' speculation that it might have been avoiding the camera's flash.

That explanation, however, is their interpretation, not an established fact.

The Photographs Were Enlarged

After discovering the unusual figure, Berríos reportedly ordered enlargements.

The enlargements made the small figure easier to see.

He then provided the material to Jorge Martín, a Puerto Rican UFO investigator and editor of Evidencia OVNI.

Martín subsequently published the photographs and investigated the story.

Jorge Martín's Investigation

Jorge Martín became one of the best-known UFO investigators in Puerto Rico.

His publications documented numerous alleged UFO and humanoid reports around El Yunque.

The 1993 photograph case was eventually included in a special 1996 edition of Evidencia OVNI dealing with El Yunque.

The same case was later published in English in Flying Saucer Review.

The Flying Saucer Review article identifies itself as a translation from Martín's Spanish-language material.

The Flying Saucer Review Account

The English article was titled:

"A Strange Creature Photographed in the Puerto Rico National Forest of El Yunque"

It was credited to Jorge Martín, editor of Evidencia OVNI and a consultant to Flying Saucer Review.

The article describes the 1993 photograph and interviews with Berríos and Ruiz.

This is one of the most important surviving published sources for the case.

The Earlier 1992 El Yunque Reports

The year 1992 is sometimes combined with the 1993 photograph case, but the material describes separate incidents.

One notable report came from the Colinas del Yunque area in approximately August 1992.

According to reports attributed to Jorge Martín, Soraya Collazo and members of her family and neighborhood reportedly saw two small humanoid figures walking along a roadway near the forest.

The beings were described as approximately 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) tall, with unusual heads and greenish skin.

These were eyewitness reports, not photographs.

The 1992 "Green Humanoids"

The 1992 account described the alleged beings as:

• Approximately four feet tall
• Thin
• Greenish in appearance
• With relatively large heads
• Long arms
• Light-brown/stringy hair

One version says the children followed them briefly before the figures entered a wooded area.

Another detail in the published account says one of the figures allegedly made a two-finger gesture resembling a peace sign.

Again, these are reported witness claims, not independently verified observations.

Why 1992 and 1993 Became Connected

The two years became connected because UFO investigators noticed similarities between the alleged beings.

The 1992 eyewitness reports described small humanoids.

The 1993 photograph appeared to show another small humanoid.

This led investigators to suggest that the same type of entity might have been present in the El Yunque region.

But there is no independent evidence demonstrating that the 1992 witnesses and 1993 photographers encountered the same phenomenon.

The 1993 Photograph's Most Important Claim

The strongest claim made by the witnesses was not simply:

"There is something strange in this photograph."

It was:

"We were there, we photographed the scene, but we did not see the figure with our own eyes."

That distinction makes the case interesting but also creates an evidentiary problem.

A photograph can sometimes reveal something a person did not notice.

But without the original negative, camera information, independent forensic examination and controlled reproduction, it is difficult to determine exactly what the photographed object was.

What Happened to the Original Film?

This is one of the frustrating aspects of the case.

The published material documents the existence of the photographs and their reproduction in UFO publications.

However, there is no widely available independent scientific archive containing the original negative strip and complete photographic documentation.

That means modern researchers generally have to work from reproductions.

This significantly limits what can be concluded.

Why the Original Negative Matters

If the original negative were available, investigators could potentially examine:

• Film grain
• Exposure
• Focus
• Lens characteristics
• Depth of field
• Position of the figure
• Negative density
• Frame-to-frame changes
• Possible double exposure
• Physical defects
• Development artifacts

Without the original negative, many photographic questions remain difficult to resolve.

Could It Be a Person?

One obvious skeptical possibility is that the figure could simply have been a person.

El Yunque is a popular recreational area, and the La Mina area contains trails, waterfalls and swimming locations.

A person partially hidden behind a rock could appear unusually small or strange depending on distance, perspective and lighting.

However, the witnesses specifically stated that they did not see anyone matching the figure at the time.

That makes the human explanation possible but not conclusively demonstrated.

Could It Be a Child?

This is another straightforward possibility.

The figure was described as approximately child-sized.

A child standing or crouching behind vegetation or a rock could potentially produce a similar appearance.

The witnesses' claim that no child was there is important testimony, but it cannot independently establish that the figure was non-human.

Could It Be an Animal?

Another possibility is an animal or partially obscured animal.

El Yunque contains a diverse range of wildlife.

The combination of:

• Distance
• Vegetation
• Rock formations
• Shadows
• Motion
• Film grain

can make an animal look surprisingly humanoid in a low-resolution photograph.

There is no published scientific identification establishing that the figure is an animal either.

Could It Be a Photographic Artifact?

Another possibility is a photographic or development artifact.

Film photography can contain:

• Scratches
• Dust
• Hair
• Chemical marks
• Emulsion defects
• Light leaks
• Reflections
• Motion blur
• Exposure artifacts

The fact that the alleged figure reportedly appears in several frames makes a simple single-frame defect less obvious, but without the original negatives, this possibility cannot be completely evaluated.

Could It Be a Hoax?

A staged photograph is another possibility.

That does not mean the witnesses necessarily fabricated the story.

A hoax could theoretically involve:

• A person deliberately positioned in the scene
• A prop
• A model
• An object placed behind a rock
• A later manipulation

There is no publicly established evidence proving that the 1993 photographs were deliberately fabricated.

Therefore, hoax should be treated as a hypothesis rather than a conclusion.

The UFO / Alien Explanation

The most famous interpretation is that the photograph captured an extraterrestrial humanoid.

The appearance described in the publication resembles the familiar "Grey" archetype:

• Large head
• Large dark eyes
• Small body
• Thin limbs

UFO researchers connected the photograph with other alleged humanoid sightings in Puerto Rico.

But resemblance to the "Grey" appearance is not evidence of extraterrestrial origin.

It is simply a similarity between the reported description and a familiar UFO image.

The Cryptid Explanation

Another interpretation is that the figure could be an unknown animal or cryptid living in the rainforest.

El Yunque's remote and dense environment makes this appealing to some paranormal researchers.

However, no biological evidence has been produced showing that an unknown humanoid species lives there.

There is:

• No body
• No DNA sample
• No hair sample
• No footprint series scientifically documented
• No verified video
• No zoological identification

Therefore, the cryptid theory remains speculative.

The "El Yunque Alien Base" Theory

El Yunque has developed a much larger UFO mythology.

Some UFO researchers have claimed that:

• UFOs enter and leave the mountains
• Underground facilities exist
• The U.S. military knows about extraterrestrial activity
• Aliens live or operate inside the forest
• Strange creatures are associated with the alleged UFO activity

Jorge Martín himself promoted broader claims about UFO activity and alleged military involvement in El Yunque.

However, these claims should not be confused with established evidence.

His own writings present them as investigative conclusions and reports from sources, not as independently verified scientific findings.

The Military-Conspiracy Theory

Another branch of the El Yunque mythology involves alleged U.S. military involvement.

Martín's writings describe claims involving:

• Secret military activity
• UFO crashes
• Alleged recovered objects
• Special forces
• Government investigations
• Alleged encounters with unusual creatures

Some of these stories are dramatic, but they rely heavily on anonymous or second-hand testimony.

For your website, these should be placed under a clearly labeled:

"Unverified Claims and Theories"

section.

They should not be written as established facts.

Why El Yunque Became Associated With UFOs

The forest has several characteristics that naturally contribute to mystery stories:

• Dense tropical vegetation
• Steep mountains
• Frequent cloud and mist
• Waterfalls
• Remote areas
• Limited visibility
• Numerous caves and rocky areas
• Military and communications history in the wider region
• Large amounts of wildlife

The forest's real environment is therefore unusual enough that unexplained photographs and eyewitness stories easily become part of local folklore.

The U.S. Forest Service documents the forest's rugged terrain and extensive recreational and scientific history.

Was the Area Actually Secret or Inaccessible?

This is another claim that is often exaggerated online.

El Yunque is a genuine U.S. National Forest with established recreation areas, roads, trails and visitor facilities.

The Forest Service officially lists La Mina Recreation Area as part of its recreation system.

That does not disprove individual reports of unusual events.

It simply means that the broad claim that the entire forest is a permanently inaccessible secret facility is not consistent with its documented public recreational status.

What Did UFO Researchers Think?

Jorge Martín considered the photograph significant.

He connected it with other alleged humanoid reports from El Yunque and suggested that the area might have an ongoing anomalous presence.

Other UFO writers subsequently used the photograph as an example of a possible humanoid or "Grey" entity.

The case became part of the wider collection of Puerto Rican UFO and humanoid reports.

What Do Skeptics Think?

Skeptical interpretations generally fall into several categories:

1. Human

A person, especially a child, may have been partly hidden by the rocks.

2. Animal

A nearby animal may have appeared humanoid because of perspective.

3. Optical illusion

Vegetation and rocks may have combined to create a face or body-like pattern.

4. Photographic artifact

Film defects or exposure effects may have created an unusual shape.

5. Deliberate staging

The image could have been intentionally created as a hoax.

None of these explanations has been conclusively demonstrated either.

What Makes the Case Interesting?

The most interesting part is that the alleged figure was reportedly not noticed until after development of the film.

The photographers apparently believed they had simply photographed friends and the scenery.

The photographic laboratory allegedly noticed the figure first.

Then the witnesses examined enlarged prints.

This creates a genuine historical question:

What exactly was visible in those original negatives?

Unfortunately, publicly available evidence does not allow us to answer that question with scientific certainty.

Important Evidence Problems

There are several reasons this case should be treated cautiously.

The original negatives are not publicly available for independent examination.

The photographs are primarily known through UFO publications and later reproductions.

There is no scientific identification of the figure.

There is no biological evidence for an unknown creature.

There is no independent chain of custody for the photographic evidence available to modern researchers.

The broader El Yunque UFO mythology can influence how the photograph is interpreted.

These limitations do not prove that the photograph is fake.

They simply mean that "unexplained photograph" is a more defensible description than "photograph of an alien."

A Note About the 1992 Case

The 1992 sightings should not be presented as photographic evidence.

They were eyewitness reports.

The photograph itself belongs to the March 1993 La Mina Falls incident.

This distinction is important for an accurate article.

Other El Yunque Humanoid Reports

The photograph became more interesting to UFO researchers because it was surrounded by numerous other alleged humanoid reports.

Martín's publications contain accounts involving:

• Small humanoids
• Grey-like beings
• Green creatures
• Strange lights
• UFOs
• Alleged encounters with military personnel
• Unusual sounds
• Alleged underground phenomena

These reports span several decades.

However, they do not constitute independent scientific confirmation of the 1993 photograph.

They are best treated as a body of folklore and UFO testimony surrounding the forest.

The 1987 Alleged Encounter

Martín's writings also contain an alleged 1987 encounter involving several members of the Puerto Rico National Guard and children.

According to the account, witnesses reportedly encountered a small humanoid near a river and later saw what they interpreted as a flying saucer.

The beings were described in familiar "Grey" terms.

This story is sometimes used to support the idea that El Yunque has had a continuing humanoid presence.

But, like the 1993 photograph, it remains an unverified witness report.

The Broader El Yunque Mystery

By the 1990s, El Yunque had developed a reputation among some Puerto Rican UFO investigators as a hotspot for anomalous activity.

Jorge Martín's publications played a major role in creating and documenting this body of reports.

The resulting mythology combines:

UFO sightings + humanoid encounters + strange photographs + military rumors + unusual lights + local folklore.

The 1993 photograph became one of the most visually striking pieces of this larger story.

What Is Actually Proven?

Strongly documented

• El Yunque is a real tropical rainforest in Puerto Rico.
• La Mina is a real waterfall/recreation area.
• Jorge Martín published a case concerning photographs allegedly taken there.
• The published account identifies Nelson Berríos and Joaquín Ruiz.
• The account says Ruiz used Berríos's 35mm Concord camera.
• The film was described as 400 ASA with 24 exposures.
• Ruiz reportedly took approximately seven or eight photographs.
• The published account says an unusual figure appeared in at least four.
• The case appeared in Evidencia OVNI and later Flying Saucer Review.

What Is NOT Proven?

There is no established evidence that:

• The figure was an extraterrestrial.
• The figure was a previously unknown species.
• The figure was a "Grey alien."
• The U.S. government recovered an alien from El Yunque.
• El Yunque contains an alien base.
• The photograph depicts a living non-human organism.
• The photograph was scientifically authenticated as genuine evidence of a creature.

The Most Reasonable Historical Conclusion

The safest conclusion is:

In March 1993, Joaquín Ruiz reportedly photographed an unexplained figure near La Mina Falls while taking ordinary photographs in El Yunque. The figure was reportedly noticed only after the film was developed and appeared in several frames. The photographs were later investigated and published by UFO researcher Jorge Martín. Their subject has never been conclusively identified.

Whether the figure was:

a person, child, animal, photographic artifact, deliberate hoax, unknown creature or something genuinely unexplained

cannot be established from the surviving public evidence.

That uncertainty is precisely what makes the photographs interesting.

Why the Case Remains Famous

Unlike many UFO stories that exist only as verbal testimony, this case has an alleged physical photographic record.

At the same time, the evidence is incomplete.

That creates an unusual middle ground:

The photographs are real historical photographic material as reproduced in the published record.

But:

What the photographs actually depict remains unresolved.

That is a much stronger and more credible way to present the story than simply calling it "proof of an alien."

Original / Historical Sources

1. Flying Saucer Review — Primary Published Account

The most important English-language historical source is Jorge Martín's article:

"A Strange Creature Photographed in the Puerto Rico National Forest of El Yunque."

It identifies Martín as the editor of Evidencia OVNI and describes the 1993 photographs, the witnesses and the camera/film details.

Flying Saucer Review — historical article/PDF

2. IRAAP — Jorge Martín's Puerto Rico Reports

The International Research Association on Anomalous Phenomena reproduces material attributed to Jorge Martín, including the 1993 photograph account.

The page states that it is reproduced with Martín's permission/thanks and provides the detailed description of the camera, film and alleged figure.

IRAAP — Puerto Rico Reports from Jorge Martín

3. U.S. Forest Service — El Yunque

Use this for factual information about the actual forest, its geography, recreation and management rather than UFO claims.

U.S. Forest Service — El Yunque National Forest

U.S. Forest Service — El Yunque Recreation

The Forest Service confirms that El Yunque is a nearly 29,000-acre tropical forest and documents La Mina as part of its recreation system.

4. Wikimedia Commons — La Mina Falls

If you need a modern photograph of the actual location, Wikimedia Commons has photographs of La Mina Falls with explicit licensing information.

One example is a photograph released under a free license by its photographer. Always follow the individual file's stated license and attribution requirements.

Wikimedia Commons — La Mina Falls photograph

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