Table of Contents
- The Ghost Sighting
- Governor’s Supernatural Theory
- Public Reaction and Skepticism
- Who Was Empress Carlota?
- Sources
The Ghost Sighting
In April 2025, during a heated teachers’ protest in San Luis Potosí, central Mexico, an unexpected figure appeared in the window of the historic state government palace. Captured on video, the mysterious woman—some claimed she was nude, others said she wore a light robe—briefly gazed down at the demonstrators before vanishing into the shadows.
The footage quickly went viral across social media, sparking a wave of speculation. Was it a staffer? A secret guest? Or something far more otherworldly?
Governor’s Supernatural Theory
Adding fuel to the fire, Governor Ricardo Gallardo Cardona offered a startling explanation: the figure might be the ghost of Empress Carlota—the only empress of Mexico, who ruled briefly in the 19th century alongside her husband, Emperor Maximilian I.
“It could be Carlota,” the governor reportedly mused, referencing the tragic European royal who suffered a mental breakdown after her husband’s execution and spent the rest of her life in seclusion in Belgium.
His comments drew national headlines, memes, and sharp criticism. Many accused him of using the ghost story as a distraction from mounting controversies—including teacher wage disputes and questions about government spending.
Public Reaction and Skepticism
Not everyone was buying the spectral explanation. Leo Torres Hernández, a 54-year-old teacher who was present during the protest, dismissed the ghost theory outright.
“If it had been a ghost, everyone would have reacted in that moment,” he said. “But we didn’t. It’s not a ghost. Someone was there.”
Local residents and historians remain divided. While some lean into the folklore—San Luis Potosí’s colonial-era buildings are rumored to be haunted—others demand transparency about who was actually inside the governor’s palace during a public demonstration.
Who Was Empress Carlota?
Born Princess Charlotte of Belgium in 1840, Carlota became Empress of Mexico in 1864 after her husband accepted the Mexican crown under French imperial influence. The couple’s reign was short-lived; by 1867, Maximilian was executed by republican forces led by Benito Juárez.
Carlota never returned to Mexico. She descended into mental illness and lived under house arrest in Belgium until her death in 1927. In Mexican folklore, however, her ghost is said to wander places tied to her brief rule—especially government buildings and palaces.
Could her spirit really have appeared in San Luis Potosí? Or was this a case of political theater wrapped in local legend?
