Los Vélez

by Robert Bovington

Los Vélez is situated in the Sierra de Maria in the north of the province of Almería. Within this area is the impressive Parque Natural de María-Los Vélez as well as the twin towns of Vélez Blanco and Vélez Rubio.

Castillo Vélez-Blanco - Juan José Rodríguez

Vélez Blanco is a typical pueblo blanco with its whitewashed houses nestling at the foot of a rocky outcrop. At the top of this prominence, a majestic castle looms over the town. It was built in the 16th century on the orders of the first Marquis of Vélez. Unfortunately, only the impressive exterior of the fortress remains - the insides are in New York, on display in the Metropolitan Museum.

There are a number of fine religious buildings in the town. The 16th century parish church of Santiago mixes Gothic, Renaissance and Mudéjar elements. The Church of Magdalena was built on the ruins of an old mosque whilst the Convent of San Luís was also built in the 16th century.

A few miles away is Vélez Rubio. It is a small town with several mansions and a number of religious buildings. One of the churches is quite magnificent - the Baroque Church of La Encarnación which was built in the 18th century. The twin bell-towers dominate the town's skyline.

Another important building in Vélez Rubio is the former 18th century Royal Hospital, which houses a museum, dedicated to local history.

Despite the historic monuments in the two towns, Los Vélez is better known for its caves, which have UNESCO World Heritage status, particularly the Cueva de los Letreros which is situated between Vélez Blanco and Vélez Rubio. It was here that prehistoric wall paintings were discovered in the 18th century. The cave was declared a National Monument in 1924. One of the paintings, the Indalo, is the symbol of the province of Almería.

Robert Bovington
Roquetas de Mar
December 2011

more blogs by Robert Bovington...

"Photographs of Spain"	http://bovingtonphotosofspain.blogspot.com/
"postcards from Spain"	http://bovington-posts.blogspot.com/
"you couldn't make it up!"	http://bovingtonycmitup.blogspot.com/
"a grumpy old man in Spain"	http://grumpybobbov.blogspot.com/
"bits and bobs"	http://bovingtonbitsandblogs.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Expressions"	http://spanishsayingsbovington.blogspot.com/
"Spanish Art"	http://bovingtonspanishart.blogspot.com/
"Books About Spain"	http://bovingtonbooks.blogspot.com/

The Indalo Man (symbol of Almería)

Go into any gift or souvenir shop in the city of Almería or the tourist resorts of Roquetas de Mar and Mojácar and you will find key rings, thimbles, teaspoons and even jewellery - all bearing the Indalo symbol. Furthermore, on the road to Almería airport a giant statue of the Indalo stands prominently on a roundabout towering over the 'Welcome to Almería' sign.
So what is so special about this stick figure man that the Almeriense, the people of Almería, call the Indalo? Well, in 1868, cave paintings were discovered in a cave in the north of the province of Almería. These paintings were about 6,000 years old and one of them, a man with his arms held out to his sides and holding a rainbow above his head, has come to be the symbol of Almería.
The Indalo allegedly brings good luck, health and love to those who own one. It is customary in this region of Spain to paint the Indalo symbol on the front of houses and businesses to protect them from evil. The interesting thing to note, however, is that this practice of warding off evil spirits by having the Indalo symbol above the door has been going on for centuries, so the locals must have known about the symbol before the cave discovery. In olden days fishermen used to pin the symbol on their doors before going out to sea as a protection against storms and as a guarantee of obtaining a good catches. Perhaps they still do!
The cave in question, la Cueva de los Letreros, was declared a National Monument in 1924. It is situated near the town of Vélez Blanco.

The Indalo Man

The Indalo

by Robert Bovington

Go into any gift or souvenir shop in the city of Almería or the tourist resorts of Roquetas de Mar and Mojácar and you will find key rings, thimbles, teaspoons and even jewellery - all bearing the Indalo symbol. Furthermore, on the road to Almería airport a giant statue of the Indalo stands prominently on a roundabout towering over the 'Welcome to Almería' sign.

So what is so special about this stick figure man that the Almeriense, the people of Almería, call the Indalo? Well, in 1868, cave paintings were discovered in a cave in the north of the province of Almería. These cave paintings were about 6,000 years old and one of them, a man with his arms held out to his sides and holding a rainbow above his head, has come to be the symbol of Almería.The Indalo allegedly brings good luck, health and love to those who own one. It is customary in this region of Spain to paint the Indalo symbol on the front of houses and businesses to protect them from evil. The interesting thing to note, however, is that this practice of warding off evil spirits by having the Indalo symbol above the door has been going on for centuries, so the locals must have known about the symbol before the cave discovery.
In olden days fishermen used to pin the symbol on their doors before going out to sea as a protection against storms and as a guarantee of obtaining a good catch. Perhaps they still do!
The cave in question, la Cueva de los Letreros, was declared a National Monument in 1924. It is one of a number of caves situated in the Sierra de María in the north of the province of Almería.
Los Letreros lies between the towns of Vélez Blanco and Vélez Rubio.
Vélez Blanco is particularly worth a visit. It is a typical pueblo blanco with its whitewashed houses nestling at the foot of a rocky outcrop upon which stands a majestic castle.

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Copyright of this text and more info at: Cave Painting : The Indalo Man, discovered in Almeria, Spain & Good Luck charm.. http://www.unique-almeria.com/cave-painting.html#ixzz1QNsXxKpw