Mexico's Elvis: Long Live Pedro Infante!

On April 15, 1957, Mexican superstar Pedro Infante—singer, actor, and national symbol of masculinity—died in a plane crash. His body was burned beyond recognition, identified only by a gold bracelet and a metal plate in his skull. But nearly thirty years later, a singer named Antonio Pedro appeared in Mexican bars, sounding and looking exactly like Infante, even sporting the same scar on his forehead. He never confirmed he was Infante, but he never denied it either. This episode of Conspiracy Theories explores the web of stories that have grown up around that ambiguity—stories involving drug cartels, a former president, a Miss Universe affair, and even UFOs.

The Immortal Idol

Pedro Infante was Mexico's Elvis—a singer whose ranchera songs became national staples and an actor who starred in 55 blockbuster films, performing his own stunts. He survived two plane crashes before the third one killed him, or so the official story goes. After the second crash, which left him with a metal plate in his skull and a visible scar, he reportedly told friends, "Death can do nothing against me." People called him "Pedro the Immortal." But on April 15, 1957, five minutes after takeoff from Mérida, his cargo plane stalled, jettisoned six tons of fish and fabric, and crashed into a house, killing Infante, his co-pilot, and two people on the ground. His body was burned beyond recognition, i