Antonito, Colorado, is not on the way to, well, ANYWHERE, but it’s still a town you should detour to, cause if you do, you can check out the massive metal abode known as Cano’s Castle. The castle sits in the midst of a regular ol’ Antonito neighborhood filled with nondescript homes, but while its ‘hood may be normcore, the castle, created from sheared beer cans and discarded metal objects, is anything but.
You’ll know you’re in the right place when the castle’s metal sheen becomes bling-bling-blindin’ as you approach. Cano’s Castle was built by Dominic Espinosa, who goes by just “Cano.” He began building his masterpiece in the 1980s, and over the years, has nailed thousands upon thousands of beer cans on the exterior walls to create makeshift aluminum siding, making it the shiniest, and perhaps most upcycled, castle around.
Cano’s Castle is truly a sight to behold. The amateur home builder took the time to stack metal around his structure, and he nails the cans to the structure while they’re inside-out, which means it’s anyones guess as to where these cans came from. Are they Coors? PBR? Or, gasp, Natty Light? No one knows because you can’t see the labels, but it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that Cano’s Castle is shiny and awesome thanks to his handiwork.
But the aluminum abode is hardly just a beer tower. Over the years, Cano has added hubcaps, discarded screen windows and doors, wire, and even grills to build the castle’s soaring metal towers – kind of like beer-can turrets, if you will – along with a house, a garage, and a shed. He calls each part of the aluminum and glittery-metal catch-all by a different name – there is “the king,” “the queen,” “the palace,” and “the rook,” respectively – and they all stand together in recycled, reflective glory.
But while the castle boasts thousands of square feet of space, Cano doesn’t live in it. He lives in a trailer across the street from his castle, allowing Jesus – yes, THAT Jesus – to take up residence in his silvery castle instead. Cano has, over the years, told numerous media outlets that he built the beer residence for Jesus, so that the man in charge is always around as his neighbor.
It’s cool (and shiny!) as hell… or heaven… and while you probably can’t rent the castle out from under Jesus – he’s always going to have that beer can castle lease – you can (and you should!) visit Cano’s creation whenever your tin-loving heart desires. If you’re lucky, you might even find Cano right across the street, where he tends to his goats and sheep. Perhaps he’ll even school you on the history behind his project if you ask nicely. But even if he won’t, you’ll have plenty to wonder about all on your own as you stare up at those gleaming towers. After all, it’s not every day one comes across a beer can abode, now is it?
Angelica Leicht
