Matlox was a Bigfoot

José Mariano Mociño was an important guy in Bigfoot history. Although his name isn't highly recognizable he did contriute history to the phenomenon. He was a naturalist from New Spain and in 1792 he was part of an exploration and scientific expedition to the area today we know as the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. From his travels throughout the region he penned one of the most significant books on nature of his time Noticias de Nutka: An Account of Nootka Sound in 1792.

He noted in his book on exploration that the native people of the Pacific Northwest were scared of a creature who lived in the woods. They referred to it as Matlox.

José states: "I do not know what to say about Matlox, inhabitant of the mountainous district, of who all have an unbelievable terror. They imagine his body as very monstrous, all covered with stiff black bristles; a head similar to a human one, but with much greater, sharper, and stronger fangs than those of the bear; extremely long arms; and toes and fingers armed with long curved claws. His shouts alone (they say) force those who hear them to the ground, and any unfortunate body he slaps is broken into a thousand pieces."

As with any description involving an unknown creature we try to catergorize it and explain it as other "suspects". Lucky for us, in his description José has ruled out several of the usual suspects in Sasquatch sightings. People and bears.

• stronger fangs than those of the bear
• head similar to a human one

It seems what we are left with is a description of an ape-like creature. Long arms, distinct toes and fingers, plus the hair and fangs. Unfortunately this is all we have to go on. José didn't witness the creatures personally nor does he mention them again as part of any other nature descriptions in his book. While this doesn't hurt or take away from his description of the creature, it also provides no clues as to habits or where this creature would have fit in his ideas about the nature systems of the area. From this account the name "Matlox" has been associated with Bigfoots in the Pacific Northwest and more specifically the Nootka Indians also used a variation of "Matlose".

And so the mystery continues....