Halloween SPECIAL 2022 - Legend The Vampire of La Purisima - Southern Baja Travel Bureau

 

Halloween SPECIAL 2022 - Legend The Vampire of La Purisima - Southern BAJA Intercambio

By: Veronica Sanchez A.  

Southern BAJA Intercambio

La Paz, Baja California South- 

Arthur Charles Blackman, a name that runs through the minds of South Californians, flooding the imagination with mystery stories and giving fame to the famous “Vampire of La Purisima”.  

The myth has taken many aspects, since it was disclosed on board an ancient ship with coffins inside, very much in the style of the Dracula novel, to others where they affirm that the vampire is not Arthur, but his wife Loreto, who returns 100 years later. of his death to take revenge on all those who in life accused them of being vampires.  

Historical records prove that there were many illnesses and deaths in the territory of Baja California Sur, but that these characters have been accused of such misfortunes is part of the legend and is not historically verifiable.  In this regard, Gilberto Manuel Ortega Avilés, a Philosophy graduate from the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS), and who has also carried out relevant research on Blackman, showed that behind the mysterious tomb in the town of La Purísima and the nascent legend of vampirism, there is a real person, and although the stories of vampirism only remain in fantastic stories, tracking down this character was complex and interesting.  

He mentioned that giving a face to the myth or legend is of vital importance to enrich it, since in many ways it benefits the cultural and historical contribution of Southern Baja, Mexico. Referring to the fact that one of the main tracing difficulties was that in many of his records he used his maternal surname before the paternal one.  “Many events in Blackman's life coincide with what is recounted in the legend of the 'Vampire of La Purisima', such as the death of his wife Loreto Osuna in 1912 due to childbirth, which can be verified in document 460 of January 18, 1918, which contains exhumation permits, granted by the governor of the Southern District, requested by José Osuna de La Purísima, for his daughter Loreto Osuna de Blackman, protected in the Pablo L. Martínez Historical Archive. 

As well as his exile and disappearance from the state of Baja California Sur as well, but contrary to what is related in the legend he did not die of depression, nor was he assassinated by an angry mob, on the contrary. After the death of his wife, he played an important role in the social and economic development of the state, as evidenced by documents found in the Pablo L.  Ortega Avilés pointed out that the legend that he is still investigating possibly arose because of the strange appearance of Arthur Charles Blackman, or because of his fascinating past in the United States, which he has been discovering in the investigations he has carried out. 

“Perhaps our character had a tough character, worthy of fear; even in the documents written by him, which we have found in the historical archive, he is shown as a tough and energetic guy who always gets what he wants. For example, the document found with the number 58 of the year 1918 sent from San Diego, California, where a request is sent from the North American Arturo C. Blackman representing Delbert J. Haff, regarding the vacating of a house of his property occupied by the director of the Bahía Magdalena school; It also contains a letter Read: They collapse the most haunted house in La Paz  As for the place of birth of the "Vampire of La Purisima", he clarified that it was not, as was popularly believed, in Illinois (United States), but in a place very close to there; in Iowa. 

And despite the fact that he worked as a mechanic when he arrived at Southern Baja, he had a more important job, even very relevant in the history of his country.  “We are preparing all these and more fascinating data to finish the investigation with all the documents that support the discoveries, and as an advance we can affirm that Blackman is not buried in Mexico.

He is buried abroad. We already know his location, dates of birth and death but the investigation is still open to find the documents and evidence to rule out any confusion. Finally, we will describe Arthur Charles Blackman as he appears on his immigration documents when he Mexico, shortly after his wife's death: blue eyes, fair complexion, brown hair, medium build, thin nose, round chin, and an obvious scar. in the middle of the mouth”, concluded Ortega Avilés. 

 

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Southern BAJA Intercambio