El Destalonado (literally meaning "without heel") is a supernatural entity from rural Chilean folklore, especially feared in the farmlands and countryside. As his name suggests, he is “without heels,” and his legend is marked by both physical signs and violent wind.
This eerie being manifests within the center of a sudden, swirling whirlwind of dust, which appears without warning. Spinning at dizzying speed, this vortex races through fields and rural roads, capable of snatching away small animals and even children that cross its path.
He is known to enter homes silently at night, particularly targeting chicken coops, from which he steals hens, chicks, and eggs. By morning, the only trace of his passing is a trail of footprints without heels - strange, partial imprints in the dirt that abruptly vanish.
El Destalonado’s appearance is just as unsettling:
- A pale, sickly-thin young man, with an unsettling and constant toothy grin, his mouth filled with sharp, animal-like teeth.
- He wears a classical campesino (farmhand) hat, and his long, unkempt hair is oddly styled to cover his face like a beard.
- Around his neck he always wears a scarf, and over his shoulder, he carries a large zurrón — a rustic sack in which he stores the chickens and objects he steals.
- After his theft, he disappears instantly, vanishing into thin air or the returning whirlwind, leaving behind only the dusty, broken footprints that lack any heels.
Some believe El Destalonado was once a cursed farmhand, punished for stealing or abusing animals. Others claim he is a spirit of the wind, feeding off the chaos and fear he causes. Rural folk advise children to come inside at the first sign of swirling dust - lest El Destalonado snatch them up and carry them away in his bag.