Have you ever wondered why you can find so many mills in Andalucía, Spain? If you hadn’t yet, then perhaps you are wondering now. In fact, Spain is in the top 5 countries that is historically famous for the use of mills. Let’s dive into our nation’s history!
Mills in Spain
Undoubtedly you are familiar with the most famous literary works in worldwide history: Don Quixote de la Mancha. Written by Miguel de Cervantes, published in 1605 and 1615. You might have not read it, but for sure you recall the famous battle of Quijote himself against the giants (in other words, the mills)! The windmills from La Mancha are so emblematic, simply because it was an area that made abundant use of them. The other area of Spain that is widely famous for its beautiful mills, and especially water mills is of course: Andalucía.
Now, why are mills so famous here? Now we will go back a little further in time, around when the Iberian Peninsula was under Islamic rule. During this time, when the region was known as Al-Andalus, the islamic hydraulic engineering was incredibly advanced. Soon enough the water mills became crucial in agriculture and flour production. The mills were employed mostly to grind grain and to extract oil.
Mills in Andalucia
We have already established that water mills in Andalucia were essential, but why this region specifically? Because of the fact that Andalucía has so many rivers, it was the most ideal and obvious location for these types of mills. Apart from the functionality of mills in Andalucía in agriculture, they had further significance.
Irrigation
Given the arid climate of Andalucía, there was a profound need for efficient irrigation to supply enough water to the crops. This is where the hydraulic engineering from the Islamic period comes in action. Their brilliant ideas have given us both water mills, acequias and aqueducts. The Romans had initially built the aqueducts, but were maintained and improved under the Muslim rule to guide the water wherever necessary.
The acequias are an interesting development. In short, it is a complex irrigation system in the form of canals that distributed the water from a water source to the land. They ensured an efficient water collection and distribution system, without any spills!
Technological innovations
Under the Islamic rule, Andalucía became the centre of learning, trading and technological advancement. With the incredible water management and mechanical engineering they had set forward, the water wheels came into action. They saw that with the very own power of the water stream, in combination with gravity, they could make the wheel turn. This made significant impact on the mechanisation of production processes like grinding grains for flour and olives for oil. Additionally, the wheel could suddenly lift water with no need for man power, making irrigation easier.
Due to this brilliant mechanical system of the water mills in Andalucia, manual labour could be invested elsewhere. The entire production became much more efficient, which meant that there was a surplus of produce, especially flour, which could be exported to other parts of the world. With this economic growth, naturally the town and cities also grew in population.
Dreamy?
Nowadays, most mills are not in use for these practices anymore. However, many have been repurposed as homes. Full of character and history, they now have bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and lounges. This means they are
If this is what you have been looking for, then reach out to us because we have 3 beautiful mills for sale! Two of them in Gaucín, and one in Coín. Contact us to get more information.
