23 August 1971. Juan Pereiraand María Gómez Camára are enjoying their meal together in their home in Bélmez de la Moraleda, a small village in Andalusia. All of a sudden, a small scream escapes their lips and their spoons drop to the ground when they glance down at their kitchen floor. A strange stain has appeared, slowly morphing into the face of a person staring back at them. Little did they know this would mark the beginning of a mystery that would pique the interest of scientists all over the world – the so called phenomenon of the “Faces of Bélmez”.

Recurring faces on the concrete floor

The couple wasted no time. María’s husband, Juan, and their son Miguel destroyed the section of the floor with a pickaxe, hoping to erase the horrifying image for good. To no avail, the face resurged each time, even when the mayor himself ordered the cement to be destroyed again and again. It multiplied, not just in the kitchen, but in the living room, the bathroom, to wherever its reach extended on the concrete. New faces appeared, each one more unique than the previous ones, ever-changing and displaying a handful of various emotions, leaving the family in a constant state of fear.

Investigations and possible explanations

Over the years, numerous investigations were conducted in order to solve the mystery of the reappearing faces. With its examination emerged a plethora of hypotheses that dive into possible causes for the obscurity.

The religious approach

As the name suggests, this theory bases their argument on a religious miracle. In the early stages this hypothesis gathered support by local citizens, although the church didn’t.

The conventional approaches

These theories argue that the faces are random patterns on the ground, a result of naturally clashing environmental conditions such as humidity and reactions in the concrete. Another one points to pareidolia, an underlying psychological tendency in us humans to recognize faces in patterns, as a possible solution. The last approach is as simple as it gets and skeptics point out man-made deception, assuming the faces in the concrete are just a crude manipulation by its finders.

The spiritualistic approach

This theory portrays María as a medium and the faces as spiritual entities, as manifestations of deceased souls. Excavations of the kitchen revealed human remains and therefore suggest that the house likely was built upon an old graveyard. Others believe that the faces belong to innocent victims who sadly perished during the tragic period of the Spanish Civil War in 1936/37.

Bender & Argumosa’s psychological approach – Thoughtography

Parapsychologists Hans Bender and Germán de Argumosa paid the “House of Faces” a visit to solve the mystery. María and her family were sent away from their home, but the faces still emerged from the concrete floor, indicating that the family did not interfere directly. During their investigation several photographs were taken and bizarre voices – “parafonías” (paranormal voices) – were recorded. Both researchers brought their theory to the table – a theory called “Thoughtography”. Their approach based the emergence of the faces on Marías thoughts, emotional and mental state, which in turn caused her to interpret the stains on the floor as faces.

Bender gets interviewed in Bélmez in 1972 (IGPP archive)

The scientific approach by the ICVand 2014 forensic analysis

In September 1990, the ICV (Institute of Ceramics and Glass) carried out their investigation with the help of two samples from the faces. Granulometric, mineralogical and chemical tests were carried out without success. No traces of paint were found anywhere, leaving no clues as to what actually caused the faces to appear behind. Two decades later, the 2014 commissioned forensic analysis by investigative journalism TV show Cuarto Milenio revealed the same results, further putting emphasis on denying any external or internal influence in the faces. Attempts to recreate them artificially failed.

Present Day

Aged 85, María Gómez Cámara passed away in 2004. Even after her death, visitors claim to have spotted new faces, her experience thus turning into a legacy for the mystery world. Despite decades of study, no definitive explanation for the Faces of Bélmez has been found yet — and the debate continues.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9lmez_Faces
https://www.allmystery.de/themen/mt95259
https://www.anomalistik.de/images/pdf/zfa/zfa2018_12_104_mayer.pdf
https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article294066/Gesichter-im-Beton-Ein-Dorf-lockt-die-Anhaenger-des-Uebersinnlichen.html
https://jasonrobertsonline.com/the-belmez-faces/