The Sisimite,a type of Bigfoot?

The Sisimite is a Bigfoot/ Yeti type creature reported to live in the Mountains of Central America and Guatemala. The creature is also cited in the folklore of Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua The name varies by region , the original name is said to be Tzitzimilt which became in Spanish sisimite, and is also written as Sisimito, Sisemite, cicimite, sisimique and even sometimes called Dontos. ( though that may be a mistake on the reports as Dantas is the local name for a Tapir I believe) .What is interesting is that that some places in Guatemala and Honduras have the name "El Sisimite”.

The creature is  said to be 6 feet (2 metres) to 8 feet( 2. 6 metres) tall ,ape like and walks with a bipedal gait of long strides. It’s fur/hair is described as shaggy and long ,black or dark brown and that it sweeps the ground as the creature walks .It is  much larger than an average person, four fingers on each hand but no thumbs and  ape-like facial features The Sisemite’s vocalisation is reported to be very loud and piercing and to be heard for miles around the mountains . It is said to be very strong  capable of breaking bones in one blow.

The Honduran explorer and historian, Jesús Aguilar Paz (1895-1974), said that the Sisimite lives in the highest part of the  mountains,in the caverns found there. Aguilar also said  that the Sisimite feeds on the berries and nuts  from the mountains and that it is not  a meat eater. Other stories say it eats human flesh.In Chorti folklore, the sisemite is a rapist who abducts human women.(Similarities here with Bigfoot, said to abduct humans)

In Guatemala the Sisemite is described as an ape with human-like face, but so big that he could "cross the Motagua river just walking" It is also said to have glowing eyes and big backwards feet . ( Some monkeys can rotate their feet so not quite as far fetched as it sounds).

Then there is this story:

Four men went out into the bush. It was right here [in Belize] along the Guatemalan border. They knew it was a dangerous place, so they took plenty of guns. On the first night they made camp and went to sleep. Sometime between midnight and one o’clock they were awakened by a rustling sound in the bush. What they saw looked like a man covered with hair from head to foot. It was the guardian of the forest, the one they call the Sisimite. Without saying a word (they say it cannot speak), it went straight to one of the men, grabbed him and tore him to pieces. What a horrible animal! The other three grabbed their shotguns and shot the creature, but it didn’t hurt him because his hair was so thick that the bullets couldn’t penetrate it.

Then, one of the men got an idea. He exclaimed, “The only thing that will work against this animal is fire!” So they found some dried palm leaves, made a pile with them, and set them on fire. When the Sisimite saw the fire, he took off running with the dead man firmly in his grip.

The three survivors went to town to file a report with the authorities. The chief of police asked them, “Well, what happened?”

One of the men answered, “It was a horrible animal, the one they call Sisimite. It killed our friend and took his body into the forest.”

So, they gathered up a large group of men to hunt it down. The trail of blood was easy to follow. It led them to a rocky area, and they saw where the Sisimite had entered the cave. The townspeople were so afraid that no one dared to go in after it. Instead, they threw several sticks of dynamite into the cave. The explosion was so strong that the entire hillside crumbled. They never found the dead man’s body or that of the Sisimite, but from the force of the explosion, they were certain that it must have died.

From the Hagerty collection. Narrated by a 54-year-old man from Benque Viejo Town, Cayo District, 1978.

Story of encounter from Panama:http://www.bigfootencounters.com/creatures/darien.htm

The similarities between stories of bigfoot, yeti and the SisiTheSmite could mean a genus of large ape or a possible human /ape hybrid either still lives or once lived in remote places. Nearly all the places where these creatures are reported are wilderness or mountains and not very accessible nor habitable for humans. Maybe they retreated up there after the ice age or maybe folklore is just similar all over the world and it is just a story. But stories have to starts somewhere and even if they don’t exist now, they may have done in the past and the stories of encounters have been passed on through oral history. There is often some truth in old stories I have found and if these creatures are no longer with us, someone may find a fossil or remains to verify they existed.