The Paraguay UFO Case That Still Raises Questions

Introduction

The 1963 Asunción UFO landing claim is one of Paraguay’s best-known modern UFO stories: a reported object allegedly descended into the grounds of the Colegio Nacional de la Capital in Asunción during the early hours of February 1963. The account became famous because it was presented not simply as a distant light in the sky, but as a close encounter involving a school site, named witnesses, and later references in international UFO catalogues. Yet the physical evidence is limited: there are no verified photographs, recovered materials, or independently confirmed traces from the alleged landing.[Del Paraguay]delparaguay.com.pyDel ParaguayDel Paraguay | NotaMay 26, 2026…Published: May 26, 2026

The case remains interesting because it sits in the space between a remembered event and a documented investigation. Supporters point to witness testimony and historical records showing that the report circulated beyond Paraguay, while sceptics note that the available evidence consists mainly of later recollections and summaries rather than a preserved physical record.[NICAP]nicap.orgThe 1963 UFO ChronologyMay 14, 2006…Published: May 14, 2006

The reported school incident

According to later Paraguayan UFO researchers, the incident took place in the early morning of 5 February 1963 at the Colegio Nacional de la Capital in Asunción. The central witness was identified in UFO literature as a student named Anastasio (or Atanasio) Leiva, who was reportedly on the school grounds and saw an unusual object rise from the area before disappearing into the sky. The case was later listed in UFO chronologies as a school-ground landing report from “Ascension, Paraguay”, reflecting an English-language spelling variation of Asunción.[UFO Casebook]ufocasebook.comUFO Casebook Passport to MagoniaUFO CasebookPassport to Magonia - 100 Years of UFO Landings…

Later retellings describe Leiva as having gone to the school grounds after losing a football, where he supposedly saw a strange craft with bright flashes lifting away. Some versions of the story add that the object produced orange or reddish light effects and moved away at great speed. These details come mainly from later UFO publications and compilations rather than surviving contemporary technical investigations.[Scribd]es.scribd.comEntrevista sobre Ufología en Paraguay | PDF | Objeto volador no identificado | Ufología…

The setting helped make the story memorable. A reported landing at a school carries a strong narrative impact because it suggests a physical location that could, in theory, be checked afterwards. However, the case does not appear to have produced the kind of evidence that would normally strengthen a landing claim: no confirmed landing marks, photographs, debris, radar records, or material samples are publicly associated with the incident.[Del Paraguay]delparaguay.com.pyDel ParaguayDel Paraguay | NotaMay 26, 2026…Published: May 26, 2026

Witness accounts and later investigations

The Asunción case gained attention partly because it was not presented as a single isolated sighting. Later accounts connected the school incident with other observations in the area, including reports from residents who allegedly saw an unusual object moving over the city. One account cited by Paraguayan UFO writer Ronald Maidana describes multiple witnesses, including a Ministry of the Interior official, reporting a fast-moving unidentified object around the same period.[Del Paraguay]delparaguay.com.pyDel ParaguayDel Paraguay | NotaMay 26, 2026…Published: May 26, 2026

The case was also preserved through international UFO record-keeping. The United States Air Force’s Project Blue Book files contain a reference to an early February 1963 Asunción report, describing a student who saw an object land on a school sports field and noting additional sightings by residents, including a government official. The entry categorised the case as “No Case (Information Only)”, meaning it was recorded as information but did not become a fully investigated Blue Book case with a formal explanation.[Bluebook Files]files.bluebookfiles.org1963.02 9316772 Winslow ArizonaBluebook Files1963-02-9316772-Winslow-Arizona…

Later UFO researchers used these references to argue that the incident deserves attention because it appears in historical records beyond local storytelling. However, inclusion in a catalogue does not confirm that the event occurred as described. UFO databases often preserve reports of unknown origin precisely because they document claims, not because they prove extraordinary explanations.[NICAP]nicap.orgThe 1963 UFO ChronologyMay 14, 2006…Published: May 14, 2006

Evidence debates and explanations

The strongest evidence for the Asunción UFO claim is the consistency of the reported story across later accounts: a named witness, a specific location, a specific date, and references from UFO researchers and archival collections. For researchers interested in the history of UFO reports, this makes it a valuable example of how a local incident can enter wider international UFO culture.[NICAP]nicap.orgThe 1963 UFO ChronologyMay 14, 2006…Published: May 14, 2006

The weakest part of the case is the lack of physical evidence. Unlike some famous UFO reports that involve alleged photographs, instrument readings, multiple independent recordings, or objects that can be examined, the Asunción claim depends largely on testimony preserved through later retellings. There is no publicly available chain of evidence showing that a craft landed, left marks, or left behind material that could be tested.[Del Paraguay]delparaguay.com.pyDel ParaguayDel Paraguay | NotaMay 26, 2026…Published: May 26, 2026

Several ordinary explanations remain possible. A bright aerial object could have been a misidentified aircraft, astronomical object, atmospheric phenomenon, or another conventional source seen under unusual conditions. Memory can also reshape unusual experiences over time, especially when stories are repeated through newspapers, books, and UFO communities. These possibilities do not prove that witnesses were mistaken, but they show why unusual claims require more than sincere testimony to establish what happened.

The enduring appeal of the 1963 Asunción story lies less in a solved mystery than in its role as a piece of Paraguay’s strange-history record. It shows how a single dramatic report can survive for decades when it combines a memorable setting, human testimony, and unanswered questions. The evidence remains too limited to confirm an extraordinary event, but the case continues to illustrate how UFO stories are created, preserved, debated, and woven into national folklore.

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Endnotes

1. Source: nicap.org
Link:https://www.nicap.org/chronos/1963fullrep.htm

Published: May 14, 2006

2. Source: es.scribd.com
Link:https://es.scribd.com/document/471825519/Maidana-OVNIs-en-el-Paraguay

3. Source: es.scribd.com
Link:https://es.scribd.com/document/941264951/Entrevista-Ronald-Maidana-en-UFo

4. Source: history.com
Title: USAF Image Glennie Lankford’s firsthand account of the encounter re
Link:https://www.history.com/articles/little-green-men-origins-aliens-hopkinsville-kelly

Published: January 2, 2020

5. Source: ru.scribd.com
Title: НЛО в Парагвае
Link:https://ru.scribd.com/document/996432170/%D0%9D%D0%9B%D0%9E-%D0%B2-%D0%9F%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%B5

6. Source: nicap.org
Title: magonia databaseported to have landed
Link:https://www.nicap.org/magonia.htm

7. Source: nicap.org
Title: section 10
Link:https://www.nicap.org/ufoe/section_10.htm

8. Source: delparaguay.com.py
Link:https://delparaguay.com.py/nota/los-extraterrestres-visitan-paraguay-el-supuesto-ovni-que-habria-aterrizado-en-el-cnc

Published: May 26, 2026

9. Source: files.bluebookfiles.org
Title: 1963.02 9316772 Winslow Arizona
Link:https://files.bluebookfiles.org/pdfs/1963.02%20-%209316772%20-%20Winslow%20Arizona.pdf

10. Source: ufocasebook.com
Title: UFO Casebook Passport to Magonia
Link:https://www.ufocasebook.com/magoniacomplete.html

11. Source: pdfcoffee.com
Link:https://pdfcoffee.com/maidana-ovnis-en-el-paraguay-5-pdf-free.html

Published: July 1, 2018

Additional References

12. Source: ufoevidence.com
Link:https://ufoevidence.com/case/betty-barney-hill-abduction/

13. Source: abc.com.py
Link:https://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/suplementos/abc-revista/el-retorno-de-la-fantasia-1503677.html

Published: July 30, 2016

14. Source: mysticsciences.com
Link:https://mysticsciences.com/ufos/the-mass-ufo-encounter-of-ariel-school/

Published: March 5, 2018

15. Source: ufoinsight.com
Title: The Charlton Crater UFO Incident – Genuine Alien Landing Or Nothing But A Hoax?
Link:https://www.ufoinsight.com/ufos/cover-ups/charlton-crater-ufo

Published: June 3, 2020

16. Source: altereddimensions.net
Link:https://www.altereddimensions.net/2018/westall-school-ufo-hundreds-students-teachers-witness-disc-shaped-ufo-above-school-australia-1966

17. Source: cronica.com.py
Title: RONALD MAIDANA, UNA PERSONA QUE SE ENCUENTRA MUY LIGADA A LO QUE ES EL ESTU
Link:https://www.cronica.com.py/2019/01/28/ovnis-paraguay-relatos-se-repiten/

Published: January 28, 2019

18. Source: cronica.com.py
Title: ¿Un ovni aterrizó en el patio del Colegio Nacional de la Capital?
Link:https://www.cronica.com.py/2026/05/26/un-ovni-aterrizo-en-el-patio-del-colegio-nacional-de-la-capital/

Published: May 26, 2026

19. Source: ufoevidence.org
Title: They stand as a monument to the limitations of our underst
Link:https://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/ufocaseshome.asp

20. Source: ufoinsight.com
Title: The Crestview Elementary School UFO Incident
Link:https://www.ufoinsight.com/ufos/close-encounters/crestview-elementary-ufo

Published: August 6, 2018

21. Source: wikidisc.org
Title: Ariel School UFO Incident | Wiki Disc
Link:https://www.wikidisc.org/wiki/Ariel_School_UFO_Incident

Published: June 16, 2026