I had heard about Salamanca’s Spaceman, but I wasn’t sure that I would be able to spot him.  I needn’t have worried; if in doubt, just follow the crowd of people pointing.

The small stone astronaut has become one of the most popular features of Salamanca cathedral’s gothic façade.

But what is a sculpture of an astronaut doing on a building constructed during the 16^th-18^th centuries?  Predictably, conspiracy theories abound.  Proof of time travel?  Alien visitations?  Evidence that our ancient forebears could travel in space?

The truth is more mundane.  The cathedral was renovated in the late-20^th century, and a stonemason, who had been working on the renovation, was given permission to add a few modern touches to the façade, the spaceman proving the most enduring.

However, Salamanca’s Spaceman is a concrete example of how swiftly fact can merge with fiction.  From just such Chinese Whispers entire new beliefs and religions can emerge, even within living memory of their genuine origin story.

© E. C. Glendenny

If E. C. Glendenny had to rank her Spacemen, she would put Salamanca first, Babylon Zoo second, and Sam Ryder third.