On the Camino, every name holds something. Astorga hides Asturica Augusta, the city Rome dedicated to its emperor; Sahagún hides a saint, Sanctus Facundus, worn down past recognition. Villafranca filled with Franks, the foreigners the route drew in; and Ponferrada is the Pons Ferrata, the iron bridge raised for the pilgrim.
Others are layered languages: Zubiri is “town of the bridge” in Basque; Nájera, “between crags” in Arabic; O Porriño, “the little leek field” in Galician. Estella was called star in Latin, and Lizarra, “ash grove”, in Basque.
And many spring from the ground underfoot: Frómista, from wheat; Roncesvalles —Orreaga in Basque— is the place of junipers; Padrón, the stone that, tradition says, moored the Apostle’s boat. The Camino is walked on foot. It can also be read, name by name, hanging on the wall.
The maps
The idea began by putting the place-names of each route onto a map to keep. The line of the road is drawn from the history of every place, distilled into the origin of its name.
Maps to frame
Made to be seen on a wall, the maps are A3 (29.7×42 cm) — small enough not to take over the room, large enough to read the detail. And A2 (42×59.4 cm) for a stronger presence.
Camino Francés
Camino del Norte
Camino Portugués
Vía de la Plata
Maps to walk
Since carrying a flat or rolled map is hardly ideal, there is also a folding version. Besides the same map you would frame, it holds facts and reflections on each route: from how to greet in every language you pass through, to lists of the plants, the demonyms, or the words for rain.
The more we know a place, the deeper our regard for it. CamiNomen wants to open the pilgrim’s eyes to the vast cultural, linguistic and historical richness held in names — and to how the Camino can be felt more fully by noticing what those who walked it before us meant to leave us.
The territory
From the map we move to the territory. The research gathered so much that we poured it into a site you can enjoy at home, but that would rather walk with you: as you go, it names the place under your feet and tells you where the name comes from.
We are bringing it to pilgrim offices, hostels, tourist offices and to Camino guides and operators. We plan to leave sample maps with a QR code to reach the site, where a directory of the shops that sell the posters will appear.
Desktop — the list of names for each camino: easy to search and browse.Desktop — the interactive map: every point opens the story of its name.
Mobile — search a town or tap “I’m here” and it locates you.Mobile — every camino and its stages, one tap away.Mobile — the map takes you to every place on the route.Mobile — the story of each name, clear and short.Mobile — the stages of your route to Santiago.Mobile — the official caminos, at a glance.
We want whoever visits the site to take a poster. We want whoever hangs a poster to dream of walking. And whoever walks to better understand every name they meet.
First in the shop, then in the pilgrim’s hands and, at last, hanging on the wall at home.
Other margins
We like the posters to be sold in places with taste. The trade price —VAT on top— is half the suggested retail price.
Size
Trade price + VAT
Retail price VAT included
A3
15 €
30 €
A2
25 €
50 €
These are firm-purchase prices: the poster belongs to the shop from delivery. If you prefer consignment —you pay only for what you sell and return the rest— we adjust the price. Let’s talk.
We also walk the city
As a sister project there is UrbiNomen: the street names of Madrid, one by one. It shares format, paper and price, and on the shelf it brings another audience, the one that loves its city and its names. They can be ordered together, on the same terms.
Graphic designers in love with names and their history. Juan Carlos walked the Camino and came back wanting to give something back: CamiNomen was born there, from seeing the route as a string of names and wanting to tell them.
We would love to show you the maps in person and talk about whatever you need.
