Case description
Ballester Olmos’s catalogue dates the El Lunarejo melon-field account near Aznalcóllar approximately to 12 September 1971, around dusk. Juan Rodríguez Domínguez, an elderly agricultural worker guarding the field from a hut, reportedly saw a bus-sized machine land near a disused artesian well, roughly 350 metres away. A large group, perhaps more than fifty, emerged and walked in formation toward a hollow.
Ignacio Darnaude’s version describes ordinary human appearance, normal stature, blue uniforms and no hats or helmets. Five or six apparent leaders remained above the hollow and directed lamp-like lights toward Juan whenever he looked out. Frightened, he headed into town; two figures allegedly followed toward its outskirts. He later claimed marks could be seen, but coworkers did not inspect them. Darnaude and Manuel Osuna investigated in 1974, well after the assigned event; others corroborated Juan’s distress and retelling, not the landing itself.
The later Benítez interview differs materially: Juan reportedly called them short “little men” and denied describing soldiers. He still compared the elongated, illuminated object with a bus and rejected a helicopter explanation. These versions should not become a single settled anatomy or military identification. The plate follows the earlier blue-uniformed, ordinary-height account, with its disputed stature explicit. Neither the exact day nor the nature of the group and vehicle is independently established.
