“La Abuela Rockera” — The Rock Granny — the statue that pays tribute to a Madrid heavy metal legend.

Born in Argentina in 1900, Ángeles Rodríguez spent most of her life living humbly in Spain. A widow since the age of 41 and mother of five, she worked as a maid and later at the Caja Postal.

But it wasn’t until she was well into her 70s that her grandson took her to a concert… and that’s when everything changed. She fell in love with the atmosphere, the music, and the rebellious spirit of heavy metal.

She quickly became a beloved figure in the scene, showing up at gigs, festivals, and Madrid’s rock parties. You could often spot her at the Parque de Atracciones, concerts at El Canciller (the legendary Madrid rock venue), and festivals like Rocktiembre.

Journalist Mariano García discovered her at a concert and invited her to contribute to Heavy Rock magazine. That’s how her column “Grandma’s Advice” was born, where she answered letters from young readers with wisdom, humor, and a surprisingly open mind for her age.

Her popularity reached such heights that the band Panzer chose her to appear on the cover of their 1984 album Toca Madera.

In the photo, she’s smiling, rocking her leather jacket, and flashing the “horns”—the universal symbol of metal. That image cemented her as an icon of Spanish heavy metal.

When she passed away in 1993, Madrid’s rock scene came together like never before. A tribute concert was held at Sala Canciller with some of Spain’s most emblematic heavy metal bands (Ñu, Asfalto, Sobredosis, Esturión, and more).

The money raised went toward financing the statue that still stands today in Vallecas—her adopted neighborhood and a true working-class stronghold of Madrid’s rock scene.

The sculpture was unveiled in 1994, created by artist Carmen Jorba, and shows Ángeles with a proud, defiant attitude, raising the horns.

It’s a bronze bust on a stone pedestal, with a couple of plaques telling her story.

Not long after it was installed, the statue was vandalized: the fingers making the horns were broken off, dismissed as a “satanic” symbol. Years later, it was restored, bringing back that malocchio sign that Ronnie James Dio brought into the metal world (a gesture he had, funnily enough, learned from his grandmother).

The neighborhood of Puente de Vallecas, where the bust stands (on Peña Gorbea Street), keeps her memory alive. Every now and then, tributes and concerts are organized in her honor. Many fans leave flowers, guitar picks, T-shirts, or messages with phrases like “The grandma we all wished we had.”

So of course, we at Viajeros Metaleros couldn’t be any different. Our little tribute comes in the form of this post, a reel on our Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and a special mention in our book “Legendary Heavy Metal Landmarks”—in the chapter Street Tributes 😉