Farmers built them by placing rows of stones in a circle rising and narrowing to a small hole at the top which would be covered with a large stone or mortar. Seldom did they use stones alone, one on top of the other, to maintain them.
The ‘chozos’ were used as a refuge from inclement weather by wine growers and the animals they employed in the fields; they were also used to keep watch over the crops.
The majority of those found in La Rioja are in the region of Sonsierra where we have toiled to renovate and conserve these structures that are sprinkled around our countryside and have become a symbol of our identity.
In recent times, the presentation of the ‘winelands’ as a candidate to be recognised as a World Heritage Site led to them being declared a Site of Cultural Interest.
