Traditional games of Castile

Some of the most widely played traditional games in Castile are calva (wooden-target throwing), tanga or chito (coin-and-peg throwing), bolos (skittles) in its local variations, rana (frog target game) and pelota (ball game). At the card table, favourites include Cuatrola (four-player trick-taking), Tute (trick-taking cards), Brisca (trick-taking cards) and Mus (a bluffing card game). Many of these games are kept alive by festivals and associations.

Calva

Players throw a cylinder or stone (the marro) at an angled wooden target (the calva), without letting it touch the ground first. The game has federations and championships.

Tanga or chito

Coins are placed on a wooden peg, and players throw iron discs to knock it over. The winner is whoever leaves the coins closest to their throwing disc.

Bolos and rana

Each district has its own version of bolos. Rana, which involves throwing discs into the mouth of a metal frog, was played in bars and at fairs.

At the card table: Cuatrola

Among card games, Cuatrola is particularly typical of Castilian and Leonese areas. We explain it in everything you need to know about Cuatrola. To explore other areas, read card games by region, and for a taste of village-square life, see how games were played in village squares.