The art of Catalonia’s human towers

In Catalonia Human Towers Are A Symbol Of National Heritage

Catalan human towers called “castell,” or castle, are central to Catalonia’s culture and performances occur regularly across the region. At this year’s Ursula festival, the red team, or Young Team of the Children of Valls, faced off against the pink team, or Old Team of the Children of Valls, in which both teams struggled with collapsing towers and injuries but also celebrated completed towers. Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Helmeted, child members of the red team climb to the summit of their human tower where they will support the final and even younger member,… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: A female member of the pink team gestures in celebration after she descended from a successfully-completed human tower during the St. Ursula festival on October… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: A child member called the “enxaneta” raises his hand to signal he has climbed to the summit of the red team’s human tower and will… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Members of the red team lay sprawled over their colleagues who form lower tiers after their human tower collapsed during the St. Ursula festival on… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: A child member called the “enxaneta” descends after he climbed to the summit of the pink team’s human tower during the St. Ursula festival on… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: A child member called the “enxaneta” raises her hand to signal she has climbed to the summit of her team’s human tower and will begin… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Young members of the pink team warm up prior to competing in building human towers at the St. Ursula festival on October 22, 2017 in… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: The pink team presents five simultaneous, smaller human towers as a finale at the St. Ursula festival on October 22, 2017 in Valls, Spain. At… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Members of the red team celebrate after they successfully completed a human tower during the St. Ursula festival on October 22, 2017 in Valls, Spain…. Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: A child member called the “enxaneta” raises her hand to signal she has climbed to the summit of the pink team’s human tower and will… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: The enxaneta, the last member on October 20, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. Catalonian human towers, which in Catalan are called a “castell”, or castle, are… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Two helmeted, child members (L) of the red team climb to the summit of their human tower where they will support the final and even… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: The pink and red teams present simultaneous human towers of columns comprised of stacked single teammates at the kickoff of the St. Ursula festival on… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: The red human tower team, including some very young honorary members, arrive in a procession at the St. Ursula festival on October 22, 2017 in… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Members, called “castellers,” of the pink team prepare to form the dense base of a human tower during the St. Ursula festival on October 22,… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Members of the red team climb over each other to they build their human tower as the final member, the child “enxanata” (R), who will… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Helmeted, child members of the red team climb to the summit of their human tower during the St. Ursula festival on October 22, 2017 in… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Members of the pink team, including helmeted children who had climbed to the summit, celebrate after they successfully completed a human tower during the St…. Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: A child member called the “enxaneta” standing at the summit of the pink team’s human tower holds a pro-Catalan independence banner at the beginning of… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Members of the red team, including helmeted children who had reached the peak, fall towards their colleagues who form the dense base below as their… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Members of the red team climb over their colleagues who form the dense base in order to build the first tiers of their human tower… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Members of the pink human tower team hold up a Catalan independence flag at the kickoff of the St. Ursula festival on October 22, 2017… Getty Images

VALLS, SPAIN – OCTOBER 22: Members of the red team create successive tiers of three over their colleagues who form the dense base of their human tower during the St…. Getty Images

The art of Catalonia’s human towers

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