"The Milky Way"

by Edd Doerr

According to Spanish legend, James the Apostle (Santiago, Sant Iago, San Diego) journeyed to NW Spain, where he died and was buried. (Santiago is to Spain what St George is to England.) Since the 9th century pilgrims from all over Europe have been walking from southern France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain/s far NW corner. The path was called "The Milky Way" ("Via Lactea"). Spanish film maker Luis Bunuel made a very funny French flick by that name about an assortment of such pilgrim; in it Jesus is arguing with his mom about whether to shave his beard.

Spanish writer Ramon Sender (1902-1982) touched on it in his 1981 comic novel "Chambrio en la plaza de las cortes". He has a statue of Cervantes (1547-1616, "Don Quixote") tell the following. Many priests who heard pilgrims' confessions in churches along the road to Compostela would sell the confessed sins/secrets to con men and crooks who would later pretend to be fortunetellers and con the same pilgrims out of money.

Hmmm, sounds like some of the tricks that Paul Kurtz and James Randi showed being used by faith-healers in our times.