Indalo

{{Short description|Neolithic stick figure symbol}} [[File:Almeria Andalucia Indalo Man.jpg|thumb|upright|Indalo Man]] The '''Indalo''' is a [[Bronze Age]] magical symbol found in the cave of "Los Letreros" ("The Signboards") in [[Sierra de María-Los Vélez Natural Park]] in [[Vélez Blanco]], [[Almería]], [[Andalusia]], [[Spain]]. It has been customary to paint the Indalo symbol on the front of houses and businesses to protect them from evil, and it is considered to be a god [[totem]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.andalucia.com/province/almeria/indalo/home.htm | title=Indalo Man ancient symbol, Almeria province, Andalucía, Southern Spain| date=7 June 2011}}</ref> The indalo has its origin in the [[Levante, Spain]] and dates back to 2500 BC. The pictograph was named in memory of [[Saint Indaletius]].

[[File:Escultura indalo.jpg|Sculpture of the man of Indalo in Almería|thumb|left]] Legend has it that the Indalo was a [[ghost]] that could hold and carry a [[rainbow]] in his hands (thus the arch over the head of the man). The Indalo has been adopted as the official [[symbol]] of the province of Almería, Spain.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://club.u-lik.com/Indalo |title=Archived copy |access-date=2007-11-15 |archive-date=2012-07-07 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707033113/http://club.u-lik.com/Indalo |url-status=dead }}{{Dead link|date=March 2026}}</ref> The Indalo symbol is used as a lucky charm in the Almería region also. To carry the charm is only beneficial if it has been presented as a gift. A story believed by some to be behind the symbol of the Indalo man, is that of a man taking shelter in a cave from the rain; when the rain stops, out comes a rainbow, and when the man walks away from the wall of the cave, the image is left there. {{clear}}

==References== {{Commons category|Indalo}} {{reflist}}

{{Culture of Andalusia}}

[[Category:European gods]] [[Category:Culture of Spain]] [[Category:Basque and Iberian deities]] [[Category:Magic symbols]]