# La Mancha Negra

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-mancha-negra/745369>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 7, 2016, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-mancha-negra/745369 "2016-02-07T00:16:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mancha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@mancha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mancha)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-mancha-negra/745369/1 "2016-02-07T00:16:31Z")

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Just wondering if this has ever been explained, is it real?

> **[La Mancha Negra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Mancha_Negra)**
>
> La Mancha Negra (The Black Stain) is a mysterious black substance that has oozed from roads in Caracas, Venezuela, first appearing in 1986. Since the appearance of La Mancha Negra, it has caused multiple car accidents and claimed many lives. Determining the cause of the substance has proven difficult and there are still no definitive explanations, despite almost two decades of study and millions of dollars spent identifying it.
> In 1986, La Mancha Negra first appeared as a smudge 50-yards long. I...

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-mancha-negra/745369/2 "2016-02-07T00:27:30Z")

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> [@Google](#):
>
> Searches related to la mancha negra  
> **boy turns into a yam**

I’m not sure which story sounds more interesting…