Cano's Castle

Attn: Cano's Castle is on private property. Be respectful and take photos from the sidewalk.  "What started as a hobby more than three decades ago quickly transformed in to an obsession for Cano Espinoza. In the 1980s, Espinoza started constructing a castle made completely out of junk. "I've collected a lot of stuff. Not only from the junk yard, but from people who have dropped things off," he said. Espinoza used more than a million cans, thousands of tires and hundreds of hub caps to create the kingdom. "I didn't know what it was turning out to be until it kind of stood there," Espinoza said. Although he was dealing with trash, Espinoza started building the castle to stay clean. "I wanted it to represent something," he explained. After he noticed many people in the town turning to drugs and alcohol in the 80s, Espinoza decided to focus his time and effort on the castle. Of all the beer cans he's used to create the structure, he never had a sip of one of them. Espinoza initially dedicated the castle to a family member, but then gave it a religious meaning. "It's for God," he said. More than 30 years after he started building the structure, Espinoza continues to add to it. "I want to put a cable up from my house to the castle, so I can cross over there," Espinoza said. He considers it a work in progress. "It needs a little bit here and there," he said. More than anything, Espinoza enjoys it when cheerful groups of curious onlookers stop by to see his creation. "I have people here every day. If it wasn't for the visitors, I wouldn't be doing this," he said. "They're like energy for me." If you would like to visit Cano's Castle, it's located at East 10th Avenue and State Street in Antonito." -9 News