‘Hinque’ (sink stick)

Hinques were made of oak, smoothed with glass and the pointed end was then hardened by heating in the fire, hence its black colour.

It is a game of skill for children, commonly played in Guadalajara until the mid 20th century. All the kids in the village took part, each armed with a stick with a sharp end and the other one smooth so as not to hurt your hand. Depending on the area, different versions existed. Thus, in the area around señorío de Molina it was played by drawing a circle on the ground which was moistened so as to soften the earth. The game consists in throwing the hinque and getting it to stick in the circle, trying simultaneously to knock over your rivals´hinques by knocking against them. If a player knocked over another player´s hinque –or several- they picked it up and threw it as far away as possible. While the respective owners went to get their sticks, the player had to throw their hinque and get it to stick inside the circle several times in a row.

In the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara region a square is marked out on the previously moistened ground and the hinque is thrown to decide who starts (whoever gets nearest the middle of the square). After each throw, the area of the square was reduced as the game consisted in «stealing ground»: the thrower drew a line from where his hinque was stuck to the edge of the square, “eliminating” that area and the game progressed until there was no square left, the winner being the last player to throw. In the Alcarria region, a square was marked out with six squares inside it: you had to stick the hinque in the first one and then hop over the others. The player then claims that square. The winner is the player who has won the most squares.

In the 1970s the hinque was usually a metal rod or even a screwdriver so it was easier to get it to stick in the ground.