Out of this world: Argentina’s 30-year wait for UFOs to land continues

Capilla del Monte in Cordoba, Argentina, hosts a festival for the aliens every year. It is the site of an alleged UFO sighting three decades ago. (AP)

Updated on: Feb 17, 2016 12:15 PM IST

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Capilla del Monte in Cordoba, Argentina, hosts a festival for the aliens every year. It is the site of an alleged UFO sighting three decades ago. (AP)

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The festival includes a parade, a costume contest and workshops with well-known speakers in everything extraterrestrial. (AP)

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The director of the UFO Investigation Center, Luz Mary Lopez, has been asking local authorities to go beyond tourism to develop the town as a scientific and spiritual hub. (AP)

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People dressed as Star Wars characters exit the stage during the annual festival. (AP)

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An ET doll outside a shop during the festival. (AP)

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In this Feb. 12, 2016 photo, a man decked out in an alien costume makes hand gestures with the public during a parade at the annual Alien Festival in Capilla del Monte, Cordoba, Argentina, the site of an alleged UFO sighting 30 years ago. The sighting left a mark in the economy of the town, which has flourished with its alien tourism. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) (AP)

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In this Feb. 14, 2016 photo, a youth sporting a Star Wars costume parades at the annual Alien Festival in Capilla del Monte, Cordoba, Argentina, the site of an alleged UFO sighting 30 years ago. Thousands of earthlings gathered for the festival in this central Argentine town which has become a global hot spot for UFO sightings. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) (AP)

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In this Feb. 14, 2016 photo, people dressed as Star Wars characters pose for pictures after parading at the annual Alien Festival in Capilla del Monte, Cordoba, Argentina, the site of an alleged UFO sighting 30 years ago. The festival, now in its fourth year, has become popular among alien enthusiasts worldwide. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) (AP)

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In this Feb. 13, 2016 photo, tourists watch an alien parade during the annual Alien Festival in Capilla del Monte, Cordoba, Argentina, the site of an alleged UFO sighting 30 years ago. The festival, currently hosting its fourth edition, has caused some controversy as the more fervent believers feel it has put a frivolous twist on what they consider a serious phenomenon. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) (AP)

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In this Feb. 13, 2016 photo, an outline of an alien stands high during the annual Alien Festival in Capilla del Monte, Cordoba, Argentina, the site of an alleged UFO sighting 30 years ago. “People come here for the energy, for the UFO sightings,” said Leonardo Fuentes, a 39-year-old tourist from Chile. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) (AP)

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In this Feb. 12, 2016 photo, people dressed as aliens compete in an alien costume contest in Capilla del Monte, Cordoba, Argentina, the site of an alleged UFO sighting 30 years ago. The sighting left a mark in the economy of the town, which has flourished with its alien tourism. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) (AP)

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In this Feb. 12, 2016 photo, women dressed as aliens on rollers-skates stand on stage to compete in the alien costume contest in Capilla del Monte, Cordoba, Argentina, the site of an alleged UFO sighting 30 years ago. The festival, currently hosting its 4th edition, has caused some controversy as the more fervent believers feel it has put a frivolous twist on what they consider a serious phenomenon. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) (AP)

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In this Feb. 13, 2016 photo, Luz Mary Lopez, director of the local Center of UFO Investigation, points to an area of burned grass in a picture taken near Uritorco Mountain, after the night of Jan. 9,1986 when a UFO was allegedly spotted near Capilla del Monte in Cordoba, Argentina. Since then, the site receives scientists to study the phenomenon, as well as a tourists who come for an annual Alien Festival. "The festival is fun, but it can also generate a lack of seriousness toward the issue," Lopez said. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) (AP)

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In this Feb. 13, 2016 photo, Luz Mary Lopez, director of the Capilla del Monte Center of UFO Investigation, shows a 1986 picture in which 12-year-old Gabriel Gomez draws in the sand, for local authorities, a representation of the UFO he saw from his window on Jan. 9, 1986 in Capilla del Monte, Cordoba, Argentina. Lopez's late husband made the investigation of the townís UFO sightings his lifeís work, and she has continued this by offering detailed talks on the mysterious events. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) (AP)