Would You Climb to the Top?

The person at the top of this human tower is a kid like you! Every two years in Tarragona, Spain, teams of people of all ages compete to build towers of people. This type of tower is called a castell. This word means “castle” in Catalan, a main language of Spain’s northeast region.

Building a human tower takes a lot of planning, says Mario Jiménez, a member of a team from Tarragona. Hundreds of adults and children are on each team. They must balance themselves just right so the downward force of gravity doesn’t cause them to topple. Adult team members form the base of the tower. Then lighter people—usually kids—scramble to the top. The tallest castells can be more than 10 levels high!