The Cipotegato of Tarazona, moving towards Cultural Interest Asset status

The Official Gazette of Aragon publishes this August 27, in issue number 166, the Resolution of August 20, 2026, which initiates the procedure to declare “El Cipotegato de Tarazona” as an Asset of Intangible Cultural Interest. The decision, adopted by the Director General of Culture and Cultural Heritage, Pedro Olloqui Burillo, is made public precisely on the day the city celebrates the festive ritual that marks the beginning of its patron saint festivities in honor of San Atilano.

The resolution, identified by the reference BOA20260827016, opens a one-month public information period and immediately and provisionally applies the protection regime specific to Assets of Cultural Interest, as provided for in Article 19 of Law 3/1999, of March 10, on Aragonese Cultural Heritage.

An identity symbol of Tarazona

The Cipotegato is the protagonist character of the ritual that marks the start of the main festivities of Tarazona, celebrated every August 27. Dressed in a tricolor harlequin suit, face covered and carrying a cipota or whip, he emerges from the City Hall to enter a crowd that welcomes him with a rain of tomatoes. His route, chosen freely by the protagonist himself, must begin and end at the City Hall and culminates in the Plaza de España, where he receives popular recognition.

The resolution highlights the festival’s antiquity, continuity, deep-rootedness, social participation, symbolic richness, and identity relevance. The character, historically linked to the disappeared “paloteao” of Tarazona, whose last representation was documented in 1928, has documentary references since the 17th century under the names “cabeza de gato” (cat’s head) or “cara de gato” (cat’s face).

A ritual in evolution

After the interruption caused by the Civil War, the character reappeared in 1942 accompanying the troupe of Giants and Big-heads. Since the second half of the 20th century, the celebration was transformed until the Cipotegato became the main protagonist of the festivities, consolidating the throwing of tomatoes as a central element of collective interaction.

In 1987, the current selection system was established via a public lottery organized by the City Council of Tarazona, in which all registered adult residents participate. The identity of the chosen person remains secret until the end of their route, and the resolution emphasizes the recent incorporation of women into the embodiment of the character.

Deadlines and citizen participation

The procedure must be resolved within a maximum period of 18 months from its publication, in accordance with Article 20 of Law 3/1999. During the public information month, any natural or legal person may:

• Examine the file at the offices of the General Directorate of Culture and Cultural Heritage (avenida de Ranillas, building 5 D, 2nd floor of Zaragoza), Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Consult it electronically through the Electronic Office of the Government of Aragon.
• Submit allegations via electronic registries and the means provided for in Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure.

The resolution recommends continuing the safeguard measures promoted by the Tarazona Monumental Foundation in research, documentation, educational transmission, and social dissemination, as well as preparing a diagnosis on the future viability of the manifestation.

The eventual declaration does not seek to rigidly fix the celebration, but to recognize that intangible cultural heritage is dynamic and vulnerable, and that the Cipotegato constitutes a first-order heritage asset, a repository of traditions and meanings of great historical depth. With thousands of participants gathering every year in the Plaza de España, legal protection reinforces the community dimension of one of Aragon’s most emblematic festive manifestations.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 166, August 27, 2026, section V (Announcements), page 1 (official reference: BOA20260827016).