Museum of Giants and Big-heads

The Museum of Giants and Big-heads of Puebla de Sanabria is an ethnographic and festive museum dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the traditional troupe of giants and big-heads of the town, one of the signs of popular identity of the municipality. It is located in San Bernardo Street, in the historic center of Puebla de Sanabria, Zamora, in the surroundings of the historic site declared BIC. The collection has its origins in 1848, the year in which the group began linked to the Archconfraternity of Nuestra Señora de las Victorias, incorporating then figures such as El Chino, La Negra and several traditional bigheaded. The museum was officially created in 1998 to show this patrimonial group, which has been expanded with new pieces over time. Among the preserved elements are the historical giants and bigheaded of the town, used in local celebrations and festive parades. The exhibition allows us to understand the continuity of a popular tradition deeply rooted in Puebla de Sanabria, where these figures are part of the intangible heritage linked to the festivities and the collective memory of the people. Because of its content and the antiquity of some of the pieces, the museum also functions as a space for the interpretation of the Sanabria festival and its ceremonial uses. Its location in the historic center reinforces the link between material heritage, popular tradition and cultural life of the town.