p>Patagonian volcanos were the home of fantastic beings, one volcano known as Melimoyu, Mapuche for "four tits" because it had four horn-like prominences on its summit which have since vanished. By 1843 Captain Juan Guillermos called it "tres puntas" (three tips), and now it only has two.
One source says that the earthquake that ravaged Valparaiso and southern Chile on August 16, 1906 (8.2 magnitude) which was accompanied by mysterious lights in the sky, caused the collapse of two of the four horns. The mountain became "Epumoyu" (two tits).
It is 2,400 m (7,900 ft.) tall and is located southwest of Chiloé close to the sea, on the mainland (44°04’S, 72°52’W). It is reputed to make odd sounds.
José Manuel de Moraleda, a Spanish naval officer who explored the coastline south of the Arauco between 1786 and 1793 mentioned that the Chilotes (Natives of Chiloé) said they "heard cannon shots or rifle shots" in the mountains and assumed they were made by the inhabitants of the lost City of Caesars. The Palena River is 20 km (12 mi.) north of the volcano.
But Moraleda attributed these strange sounds to strong gales that beat the coast and produce "a sound that imitates a distant thunder, a canon or musket shot […] the frequent avalanches in the Cordillera make a similar sound."
Map
This map (which I am preparing with Musters' itinerary across Patagonia, with all the encampments), shows the spot where he heard the cannon shot, and the location of the volcano.
The legend of the City of Caesars began in the mid-16th century. It revolved around an incredibly rich city set in Patagonia; its roads were paved with gold. It was inhabited by people of European origin who led secluded lives there. Several expeditions were sent to find it, and it was not until the late-18th century that it lost credibility.
One century later (1885), in his report to the government after exploring the Palena River, Serrano Montaner wrote about an Indian called Caucalán who was seeking the City of Caesars along this river, when one "night the explorers heard loud and ugly roaring." Caucalán’s party attributed it to the spirit of the river, and full of fear they returned to Chiloé. Serrano asserted that "you can usually feel in that spot, and along the course of the river, certain strange noises similar to those that frequently accompany earthquakes." Serrano believed they were caused by avalanches in the high summits of the Andes.
Fortunately, we have a comment penned by Musters in 1870, who wrote about this phenomenon while camping at Chiriq Aike (now known as Arroyo Cherque) close to the town of Gobernador Costa in Chubut, on the eastern side of the Andes roughly 100 km (65 mi.) east of the volcano:
"During our stay here an incident occurred which led to the collection and comparison of the traditions concerning the hidden or enchanted city which still are current and believed among the Indians and Chilotes. One day while hunting we were startled by a loud report, as of the discharge of a cannon, and looking to the west saw a black cloud of smoke hanging above the peaks of the Cordillera. My companion Jackechan told me that on several previous visits to this station the Indians had observed similar columns of smoke in the same direction. On one occasion so convinced were they that it was caused by human agency, that a party set out to endeavour to penetrate the forests and reach the dwellings of the unknown residents, which the smoke was believed to point out. They proceeded some distance into the recesses of the mountain forests, but the extreme difficulties of travelling compelled them at last to abandon their purpose and retrace their steps. It is of course most probable that both the explosion and the smoke proceeded from some unknown active volcano in the range; but the Indians firmly believe in the existence either of an unknown tribe, or of an enchanted or hidden city."
Map
See this map, it is part of an ongoing project, mapping Musters' itinerary across Patagonia, with all the campgrounds he stopped at with the natives. It shows the Ciriq site and Melimoyu volcano (red icon) and the straight line linking them (yellow line).
Once again, a reference to the legendary City of Caesars. The sounds caused by volcanos can resemble cannon shots. see this video with the sounds of Villarrica volcano (Chilean Patagonia) before its 2015 eruption.
Patagonian Monsters - Cryptozoology, Myths & legends in Patagonia Copyright 2009-2025 by Austin Whittall ©
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