While records related to the birth of Julia Pastrana are somewhat blurred, it is likely that she was born on the Sierra Madre’s Western slopes of Mexico. It is believed that she was born in the year 1834 (died: March 25, 1860). At that time, her physical characteristics of thick lips, wide ears and excessive hair growth caused great confusion: Some individuals theorized that she was the offspring of a human and an ape, a bear or a baboon, which led to her nicknames, ‘The Bear Woman,’ ‘The Baboon Lady’ and ‘The Ape Woman.’
