Nestled at the convergence of three regions in northern Spain, Aguilar de Codés is a place of overlapping influences and layered histories. The Basque country, La Rioja, and Navarre meet here, leaving traces of their varied cultures on the buildings, the cuisine, and the people. The sport of pelota exemplifies the region’s multiple identities—a shared recreation played in diverse ways: with one’s bare hand, a racket, a bat, or a chistera (a wicker scoop) propelling a ball against a wall.
As in other parts of rural Spain, young people have moved from Aguilar de Codés to larger cities in search of employment and excitement. Today, it has fewer than 100 year-round residents, though the number increases on weekends and holidays, when family members return to visit and tourists come to relax. Luring people to town was one of the reasons the local city council decided to build a pelota frontón, or walled court, using the site of an old stone mansion that had fallen into ruin. After a limited competition, the city hired Verne Arquitectura with Alejandro Maortua Gaminde to design the project, challenging the architects to respect local building traditions and the physical context.
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