Mojacar indalo Almeria, Spain tourist guide

Mojacar indalo

This anthropomorphic figure is to be found in every corner of Mojacar, painted on the outside of buildings or forged in iron and hanging on the interior walls. As an item of jewellery or as a gift, it must surely be the most familiar souvenir of this town.

The indalo has been used in Mojacar since distant times when it was known as the Muñeco Mojaquero which the first romantic travellers to the area had encountered painted on houses. The inhabitants used leftover limewash to daub the desing on the outside walls as a protection against the evil eye and to preserve them from storms and other natural disasters. It is believed to depict a god or spirit supporting a rainbow in its outstretched arms.

As an important part of rural superstition, the sign was attributed with magic powers and was a sign of good luck. The archaeologist Juan Cuadrado believes that the antiquity of the indalo stretches back as far as prehistoric times and to the discovery of the cave paintings in the Cueva de Los LEtreros near Valez Blanco. Another theory attributes its origins to the Phoenicians, who came to our shores more than three thousand years ago bringing their religion including the worship of gods such as Tanit.

The graphic depiction of this goddess has many similarities with the Indalo design. The Indalo design was adopted as a symbol by the Almerian cultural movement led by Jesus de Perceval, Eugenio D´Ors etc which took off in the mid sixties and coincided with a number of artist and intellectuals adopting the town of Mojacar as their new home.

The indalo, as a symbol of good luck, has existed in many versions in ancient civilisations. But primarily, this figure has become recognised, inside and outside this country as a symbol of Almeria and especially, of Mojacar.