You're strolling through a park on the edge of Madrid, enjoying a perfectly normal afternoon, perhaps contemplating the meaning of life or just what you’ll have for dinner. Then, suddenly, you're face-to-face with Apollo. And then Mercury. And wait, is that Pluto?
Because apparently, in Alcorcón, a city better known for its actual buildings than its mythological ones, someone decided to drop an entire pantheon of Greek gods and a full-scale solar system right into La Ribota Park. As one does.
A Most Unexpected Pantheon
This isn't some ancient ruin or a grand museum exhibit. This is a public park, complete with fountains and walking paths, but with a secret life. Artist Ángel Aragonés is the mastermind behind this wonderfully bizarre creation, scattering deities like they're just part of the landscaping.
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Now, about Pluto. Yes, the one astronomers unceremoniously demoted to a "dwarf planet" in 2006. La Ribota Park, bless its anachronistic heart, still gives Pluto full planetary status, positioning it proudly at the edge of its sculpted solar system. Because some legends, apparently, are just too good to let go.
The sculptures themselves are charmingly simple, relying on their instantly recognizable symbols to tell you who’s who. It’s like a pop quiz for your mythology knowledge, but with the added bonus of fresh air and the gentle sound of bubbling water. And if you swing by in the evening, the shifting light turns the whole scene into something genuinely magical. It’s a bit like stumbling into a secret, sun-drenched (or moonlit) mythology textbook, and who wouldn't want that?
