A Vietnam War veteran turned discarded materials into Colorado's famous Cano's Castle

The castle had stood in their neighbourhood for years, becoming part of the town's identity. In the small town of Antonito in southern Colorado, United States, a house made from discarded beer cans, hubcaps, screen doors and scrap metal became a well-known roadside attraction. According to The Denver Gazette, called Cano's Castle, the structure was built by Dominic “Cano” Espinoza, a Native American Vietnam War veteran who reportedly began working on it in 1980.The personal construction project eventually became a local landmark. Espinoza used materials that others had thrown away, combining them with native volcanic stone to build a complex that stood out from the surrounding homes. Over the years, the unusual structure attracted visitors and became familiar to people living in Antonito, a small town near the New Mexico border.The castle was also Espinoza's home. Known locally as a private man who often travelled around town on his bicycle, he continued to be closely associated with the property. His religious faith was another part of his identity, according to reports about the castle and its builder.However, on January 13, 2022, a major fire damaged the property. The blaze dest...