Construction

Malaga bricklayers win national El Palustre masonry championship for third time

Javier Vargas and Manuel Fuentes take 6,000-euro top prize in 59th edition of prestigious competition in El Palo

The key this year has been rethinking the design, translating measurements and volumes from the plan into the space. (Reportaje gráfico Migue Fernández)

22/09/2026 a las 08:12h.

Malaga bricklaying duo Javier Vargas and Manuel Fuentes have won the national masonry competition organised by Peña El Palustre for the third time.

Representing the ... neighbourhood of Maqueda in Campanillas, foreman Vargas and assistant Fuentes earned the 6,000-euro first prize after constructing a complex double-curved brick panel under sweltering conditions in El Palo.

A pair from Riolobos in Caceres province took second place with a 2,500-euro award, while a team from La Nava de Santiago in Badajoz claimed third place and 1,500 euros.

“After spending the whole morning preparing things and working in the heat, winning makes you very happy,” said Javier Vargas, the officer of the winning team, proudly. “The key to this year’s design lay in the layout [transferring shapes and measurements from the plan to the three-dimensional space]. It’s different every year, but to be honest, we’ve done quite well with this one,” he added.

An architectural challenge

Designed by jury chairman and architect Demófilo Peláez, this year's test required the 28 participating teams to build a warped, cantilevered brick panel supported on three vertices across a single horizontal plane. "The key to this year's design lay in the layout and transferring measurements from the plan into three-dimensional space," Vargas said after the verdict was announced shortly after 2pm.

Maqueda’s partner has won three times. (M. F.)

The competition, held in Padre Ciganda square along the El Palo seafront promenade, drew teams from across Andalusia and Extremadura, including Caceres, Badajoz, Jaen, Cordoba and Seville. Teams worked from 8am using spirit levels, set squares and manual tools to interpret blueprints under strict time limits.

Founded in 1967 as an informal challenge between members of the Peña El Palustre neighbourhood club, the event has grown into Spain's primary national masonry contest. The competition will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year.