Castell

Catalonia · human pyramid · tradition · teamwork

Living Architecture. A castell is a tower made entirely of people stacked on top of each other, sometimes reaching as high as ten people tall. Teams spend years practicing together to build them safely and skillfully.

Festival Tradition. Castells have been built for hundreds of years at festivals in southern Catalonia, and they're now popular all across Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Thousands of people gather to watch teams compete and celebrate.

Teamwork Matters Most. Building a castell takes incredible coordination between strong base people called the 'pinya' who support the weight, and skilled climbers who carefully scale the human pyramid. Everyone has a specific job to make it work.

Official Sport. Castell building is taken so seriously that there are competitions where different teams try to build the tallest and most impressive towers. UNESCO recognized it as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2010.

Balance and Trust. The people at the bottom must be very strong and brave to hold the weight of everyone above them, while the climbers at the top need excellent balance and fearlessness to reach the highest point.