El Tío Perruca — Book & Digital Experience
A cultural recovery project built around the re-edition of a 1974 book that documents the life, traditions, and landscape of Igüeña, a mountain village in El Bierzo (León).
This project began with the re-edition of an old book published in 1974 by my great-uncle. The book portrays everyday life, customs, and the collective memory of Igüeña. As a family representative, I coordinated with the local council to make the book available again, ensuring that all benefits would be reinvested in improving and revitalizing the valley.
Beyond the book itself, I created a digital platform to extend its impact. The website allows visitors to explore the area remotely through 360° imagery and to understand the context of the stories before setting foot in the village.
The platform also includes GPS-guided routes, available both online and through physical signage in the valley. These routes help visitors walk the same paths described in the book, connecting literature, territory, and lived experience.
“Technology became a bridge between memory, landscape, and people.”
An especially meaningful part of the project was the recovery of historical paths mentioned in the book. By analyzing modern and historical maps together with LIDAR data, I was able to locate routes that had been lost over time. With the collaboration of the local hiking group El Aguzo, these trails were verified on the ground and registered using GPS.
Today, these recovered paths can once again be walked. This project is not only about publishing a book, but about preserving cultural heritage, making it accessible, and encouraging respectful tourism that understands the place before consuming it.
