veleta

Veleta is the Spanish term for a weather vane, a device that indicates wind direction by means of a freely rotating element mounted on a vertical axis, usually placed on rooftops, towers, or ships. The moving part, often shaped as an arrow, a rooster, or another figure, is balanced against a fixed base showing the cardinal directions.

A typical vane consists of a horizontal banner or figure attached to a vertical rod, with a counterweight or design that allows it to rotate with the wind. The fixed portion bears a compass rose or N, E, S, W marks so observers can read the wind’s direction. When wind pressure pushes the movable part, the vane aligns with the wind it is blowing toward. Because meteorological wind direction is named for the direction from which the wind originates, a vane pointing south indicates a north-origin wind.

Materials vary; common vanes are made of copper, brass, aluminum, or wood, and can be purely functional or highly decorative, sometimes depicting animals, ships, or symbols. Weather vanes remain common on traditional buildings and may serve as architectural ornaments as well as indicators of wind.

El Veleta is also the name of a mountain peak in the Sierra Nevada range in southern Spain, and the term appears as a toponym in various places.