37-THE MILLS, WATER MILLS, DROP HAMMERS, AND FULLING MILLS OF THE GUADALUPEJO

Geoparque Villuercas > CULTURAL SITES > 37-THE MILLS, WATER MILLS, DROP HAMMERS, AND FULLING MILLS OF THE GUADALUPEJO

Along its course the River Guadalupejo had a large number of hydraulic works, most of which are directly linked to the history of the Real Monasterio and the town of Guadalupe. These infrastructures reveal the importance of watercourses to medieval industry and the extraordinary capacity of the Hieronymite monks for making the most of them.

Near Guadalupe runs the River Guadalupejo, which has been declared an ecological and biodiversity corridor owing to its natural values; these include one of the best riverside woodlands in Extremadura. This river also has an unusual cultural heritage. This consists of the various hydraulic projects which were implemented in the 14th and 15th centuries, most of them related to the prosperity of the Hieronymite community of the nearby Real Monasterio de Santa María de Guadalupe. All along the course of this river we find a succession of small dams, fulling mills, mills, water mills, and drop hammers which have given rise to the Route of the Mills.

One of the most noteworthy expressions of medieval engineering is the so-called Fulling Mill, also known as the Batán de Arriba (Upper Fulling Mill), which leads us to suppose that there must have been another fulling mill downstream which no longer exists. Fulling mills were used for two tasks; on the one hand for removing the irregularities and the grease from the wool and on the other for compacting the soft fabrics and making them into firmer ones. In this case their mission was to process the fabrics from which the habits of the monastic order and cloth were made at the Real Monasterio. Old references exist which mention these fulling mills and the manufacture of brown cloth by the Hieronymites.

The Pozo de la Nieve consists of a vault which covers the hollow in itself and isolates it from the outside temperatures. The well proper is about eight metres deep and six metres wide; the side walls are lined with stones. In the surrounding area remains can still be seen of the houses and constructions used for the work in relation to the storage and transport of ice. It is to be supposed that this fascinating trade required the exclusive dedication of several people throughout the year.

The process was meticulous and methodical: the snow was brought from nearby peaks such as the crag of La Villuerca in the harshest winters. In milder winters and during the spring months it was brought from the mountains of Gredos over a hundred kilometres away. The route was quite an odyssey as the saddlebags loaded with snow were transported on the backs of beasts for two nights; during the day they remained hidden in caverns or cellars. Once at the well the snow was deposited in it; the walls had previously been lined with straw to serve as insulation. Each load of snow was successively tamped down by the workers so as to save space and for it to gradually turn into ice. When the well was full it was covered with layers of straw to maintain the thermal insulation. During the hot months the ice was extracted and transported little by little to the quarters of the monks in the nearby town of Guadalupe.

The grandiosity of this work of engineering and its fascinating story is complemented by the beauty of the landscape. It forms a ridge between the valleys of the River Viejas and the River Guadalupe and below the crag of La Villuerca. To the north you can contemplate the whole of the Valley of the Ibor while to the south extend the uplands of La Siberia.