If I remember, in 1705 there was a big influx of illegal aliens in North America, too. The natives were concerned about losing their culture.
True, true ... and look how that turned out! Some of the characters in these mysteries (of which there are only two, so far) are Catholic religious: Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans. They were wandering the forests of North America at the same time as they were frisking about the Himalayas, especially the Jesuits.
The Jesuit archives are amazing. If I didn’t have to cook, clean, teach, sing, and wash children and dragons, there would be a lot to read.