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The Rainbow Man - Indalo

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What is the Indalo?

When I first moved to Spain, I noticed a little symbol popping up everywhere. It was a little stick man that appeared to be holding an arc.

"What is that?" I asked my Spanish neighbours, who had one on their mantlepiece, another on their front door and several more dotted around the house.

"Ah!" they replied, smiling. "That's the Indalo, the Rainbow Man!"

I must have looked blank, so they explained exactly what the little fellow signified.

It seems that in 1868, the archeologist Antonio Gongorra Martinez made an important discovery. In the north of the province of Almeria, he came upon some ancient caves. Remarkable bronze and stone age artefacts were unearthed, but that was not all.

One cave was decorated with archaic symbols, figures of archers, mountain goats and deer. But the most common and recurring theme was that of a man holding a rainbow. It is thought that the 'Indalo' or 'Rainbow Man' most likely represented a Shaman or God figure.

Table of Contents

  1. What's so special about the Rainbow Man?
  2. Please note:
  3. Beware! There's a catch!
  4. Cafe front
  5. Are YOU superstitious?
  6. An inflatable Indalo at the Almeria Fiesta
  7. What happened next?
  8. Amazon Goodies!
  9. You may like to look at:
  10. Comments very welcome!
  11. Do You Like This Lens?
  13. RocketMoms Rock!

What's so special about the Rainbow Man?

Earthquake protection?

In the 1870's, local villagers took to daubing the symbol on their houses as a good luck charm, hoping to ward off evil.

After an earthquake had destroyed the villages of Mojacar and Vera, the surviving inhabitants were understandably nervous. They took to imitating their northern Almerian neighbours whose villages had escaped lightly, believing the Indalo must have protected them. They copied the practice and made sure the remaining and rebuilt houses of Mojacar and Vera displayed Rainbow Men, too.

And so the Rainbow Men marched across Almeria. The prehistoric symbol was adopted as the logo for Almeria, and a bringer of good luck.

Please note:

Any proceeds from this lens will be donated to Cancer Research.

Beware! There's a catch!

The Indalo has a sinister side

Today you will see the Indalo on car bumpers, statues, T-shirts, key-rings, shop fronts, everywhere.

However, the good luck is conditional. The superstition decrees that the charm will only work if you are given the Indalo as a gift. It's simple - if you are presented with an Indalo, you will enjoy GOOD luck. But beware - an Indalo purchased and carried by yourself will only bring BAD luck.

Cafe front

Are YOU superstitious?

I WASN´T - until I came across the Indalo...

This is an excerpt from my book, 'Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools'. Find out what happened when Joe and I bought a Rainbow Man for ourselves...

We were shopping one day when a little Indalo caught my eye. It was about the size of the palm of my hand and cast in some heavy kind of metal. It had sharp, angular lines apart from the lovely sweep of the rainbow. We were leaving the shop but I was strangely drawn back to the little figure.

"Buy it, if you want," said Joe. "You don't believe that superstitious rubbish, do you?"

"Of course not," I said, and purchased the little Indalo. I slipped it into my jacket pocket with my purse. The weight of it was comforting as it bumped against me as I walked.

We were in the Post Office when I unzipped my pocket and felt for my purse.

"My purse! It's gone!" I said, desperately checking and rechecking the pocket.

The Indalo was still there, but the purse had vanished. Close scrutiny revealed that the sharp angles of the Indalo had torn the pocket lining as I walked, allowing the purse to fall out. The Indalo had caught on the frayed fabric and was safe.

"What a bloody nuisance," said Joe, as we retraced our steps looking for the purse.

"Not a nuisance," I said. "That was the curse of the Indalo! It's because we bought it for ourselves. I don't want it any more. I'm going to throw it away."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Joe. "Here, give it to me..."

Continued below... Poor Joe!

An inflatable Indalo at the Almeria Fiesta

What happened next?

I handed the Indalo to Joe. BIG MISTAKE!

I handed it over and he put it in the back pocket of his shorts. We didn't find the purse but it hadn't contained much, so its loss wasn't disastrous, just annoying.

We walked back to the car park, heavily laden with shopping. Suddenly, without warning, a car reversed out of its parking space causing Joe to jump back. He stumbled and landed heavily on his backside. The Spanish driver didn't even notice and drove away without a backward glance.

Joe's face was a grimace of pain as I helped him back on his feet. "Did you hurt your back again?" I asked, concerned.

"No, I sat on that bloody Indalo! It really hurt!"
It had to go. We gave the little Indalo to a puzzled passing shopper who thought it was part of a promotion.

"Regalo, regalo (a gift)," we insisted, pressing it into her hand. She was bemused, but quite pleased with the present.

Back at home, Joe was still rubbing his backside ruefully. He pulled his shorts aside and we both jumped at the sight. Emblazoned on his left buttock was the perfect imprint of a Rainbow Man, branded in fiery red.



Sadly, we were to discover that the Indalo would bide its time; it hadn't finished its mischief yet. Find out what happened next in 'Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools'. available from Amazon, B&N, WH Smith, Borders, Waterstones, etc. Also available as an EBook.

Amazon Goodies!

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Comments very welcome!

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  • Reply
    Daniela May 1, 2011 @ 8:28 am | delete
    Hi ! We have a watermill in El Canarico ( Mojacar , Almeria) and I'm very happy to share my experiences with Indalos ! I'm a restorer of ancient and modern art and also painting ..sometime . I'm happy to meet you.
  • Reply
    binnie1961 May 15, 2010 @ 7:33 pm | delete
    We have an apartment in Turre and will be visiting in June. Loved your lens.
  • Reply
    shajo Jul 31, 2009 @ 8:24 am | delete
    Great story! I hope your good luck has returned by now and your husband's branding has disappeared! Wonderful lens!
  • Reply
    Joan4 Jul 31, 2009 @ 8:21 am | delete
    Fascinating and fun read!
  • Reply
    Sojourn Jul 30, 2009 @ 9:00 pm | delete
    What great inspiration for your story! I'd never heard of the "rainbow man" but I can see why they were so attracted to the potential for protection and good luck. Your book looks great and I'm going to have to check that out! :)
  • Reply
    24websurf Jul 28, 2009 @ 5:20 am | delete
    As always, I love your stories and excerpts from your book are hilarious! Congratulations on the gold star from the publisher also! I have turned another Squidooer into a Victoria Tweed fan. We will be visiting your lenses very soon! Be on the lookout! :)
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I'm just an old fool from England, living up a remote mountain, author of 'Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools' and owner of the most dangerous cockerel... more »

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