# Tierra y Tradición · Rural heritage and Music at the Cuco URL: https://tierraytradicion.org/en/ # Preserving _our roots,_ building our future Scroll A cultural association from La Felipa caring for the stone, the crafts and the memory of the La Mancha countryside — and celebrating them with music as the sun goes down. - Dry stone - Esparto - Music - Food - Farming - Vernacular architecture - Festivities - Oral tradition ## What we inherit is not stored away: it is passed on A village's roots live in what it knows how to make by hand and in what it tells out loud. We work with all of that legacy, tangible and intangible, so it passes from one generation to the next. Rural culture is kept alive by those who take part. _Join the association and help us build, stone by stone, what comes next._ ## Music at the Cuco Acoustic sunset concerts beside the cucos, the dry-stone huts that shepherds and farmers built without mortar. Contemporary music, landscape and heritage on a single stage. [Discover the series](/en/music-at-the-cuco/) - ![The cuco of La Felipa with the «Música en el Cuco» neon and the seated audience](/_astro/mapa-la-felipa-11.BIjMFdf__Z1CNM6r.webp) - ![The MAPA duo seen from behind, facing the audience and the setting sun](/_astro/mapa-la-felipa-02.A2vTrLgk_1iiw3B.webp) - ![Sound equipment and audience at the open-air stage](/_astro/mapa-la-felipa-05.9frcYN4C_Z1c8xb.webp) Where it began 2025 Two pilot concerts beside a cuco proved that the countryside is a stage too. Towns 5 Chinchilla de Montearagón, Hoya-Gonzalo, Pozo-Lorente, Casas de Juan Núñez and La Felipa join the 2026 series. Admission €0 Every concert is free: quality culture belongs in rural areas too. ## What we do We run cultural, educational and outreach activities that preserve our heritage and bring it closer to society, especially to young people. 1. ### Rural heritage We identify, preserve, restore and share traditional buildings and the elements of our cultural landscape. 2. ### Traditions and know-how We recover and pass on crafts, artisan techniques, customs and traditional knowledge. 3. ### Culture and participation We organise concerts, exhibitions, workshops, talks, gatherings, walks and guided visits. 4. ### Research and outreach We support projects that document, study and share rural heritage and popular traditions. 5. ### Sustainability and nature We stand for a respectful, balanced relationship between culture, people and the natural environment. 6. ### Collaboration and community We work with associations, institutions, schools and people committed to rural life. ## Coming up Concerts, workshops and work days at the cuco. Everything that is on its way. We are preparing the next edition. Follow us to be the first to know. 1. Ongoing · obra ### Rebuilding the cuco The cuco of La Felipa 2. Ongoing · taller ### Esparto workshop La Felipa 3. October 2026 · Past concerts 24 ### [MAPA at the cuco of La Felipa](/en/music-at-the-cuco/2026/2026-mapa-la-felipa/) The cuco of La Felipa 4. August 2026 · Past concerts ### [Meraki at the cuco of La Felipa](/en/music-at-the-cuco/2026/2026-meraki-la-felipa/) The cuco of La Felipa · To be confirmed 5. September 2025 · Past concerts ### [Pilot concert · September 2025](/en/music-at-the-cuco/2025/2025-piloto-septiembre/) The cuco of La Felipa · To be confirmed [See all events](/en/events/) Dry stone ## Stone by stone We are rebuilding a cuco. It is slow work, like an excavation: every summer we raise it a little more, using the traditional technique and not a drop of mortar. [Follow the rebuild](/en/heritage/the-cuco-of-la-felipa/) 1. ### Gathering stone Cucos were built with the stones cleared from ploughed fields. 2. ### The corbelled dome Each course steps slightly inward until the roof closes, with no formwork or mortar. 3. ![MAPA performing in the shadow of the dry-stone cuco](/_astro/mapa-la-felipa-10.B00FFPZ__1AdA55.webp) ### A little every summer Open work days where neighbours and volunteers learn by doing. 1. ### A recognised craft The art of dry-stone construction is inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. ![Audience listening to MAPA against the cuco's stone wall](/_astro/mapa-la-felipa-12.DeEts2U2_Ze5R7s.webp) 2. ### Shepherds' shelter Cucos gave shade and shelter to shepherds and farmers out on the plain. 3. ### An inventory to make We are documenting the region's cucos so their memory does not depend on chance. Esparto ## Esparto hands Esparto grass was rope, sandal sole, basket and plait. We run workshops so its weaving is not lost and young hands can learn from those who know. [Crafts and workshops](/en/crafts-and-workshops/) 1. ### Soak and pound The fibre is prepared first: boiled, dried and pounded until supple. 2. ### The pleita The base plait for baskets, panniers and cheese moulds. 3. ### Open workshop Sessions for all ages, from the first plait to the first piece. 1. ### An ancient fibre Esparto has been worked in south-eastern Iberia since prehistoric times. 2. ### Craft and memory We record and listen to those who still keep the craft alive. 3. ### A landscape material A wild plant now attracting renewed interest as a sustainable fibre. Territory ## La Felipa and its region La Felipa is a village belonging to Chinchilla de Montearagón, about twelve kilometres from Albacete. From here we work with the neighbouring towns that share landscape, cucos and memory. [Explore the territory](/en/territory/) 1. ### La Felipa A village of plains, holm oaks and drove roads, recorded since the 16th century. 2. ### Chinchilla de Montearagón Historic town with a castle, main square and cave houses; seat of the municipality. 3. ### Towns of the series Hoya-Gonzalo, Pozo-Lorente and Casas de Juan Núñez share a dry-stone landscape. 1. ### Old roads Transhumance and wells shaped these settlements. 2. ### Festivities San Isidro Labrador and La Purísima mark La Felipa's calendar. 3. ### A landscape worth caring for Culture and nature, on the same side. ## How we understand culture > _«Culture is a way to connect generations, strengthen the identity of our villages and keep their collective memory alive.»_ We believe in culture that is participatory, sustainable and rooted in place; culture that respects the past, is enjoyed in the present and is handed on to the future. [About the association](/en/about-us/) In brief Tierra y Tradición is a non-profit cultural association based in La Felipa, a village of Chinchilla de Montearagón (Albacete, Spain). Since February 2026 it has worked to preserve and share rural heritage —dry-stone buildings, crafts such as esparto weaving, music and oral tradition— and it organises Música en el Cuco, a series of free acoustic sunset concerts beside the region's cucos, traditional dry-stone huts. ## Frequently asked questions What is Música en el Cuco? A series of acoustic sunset concerts organised by the Tierra y Tradición cultural association beside the cucos, traditional dry-stone huts in the province of Albacete, Spain. What is a cuco? A dry-stone shelter with a round or square plan and a corbelled dome, built without mortar by shepherds and farmers of La Mancha using stones cleared from the fields. Where is La Felipa? A village belonging to Chinchilla de Montearagón (Albacete, Spain), about 12 km east of the city of Albacete, on the CM-332 road. How can I take part? By becoming a member, joining the work days at the cuco or the workshops. Write to us from the contact page.