Molino de Santa Ana Museum

After the conquest of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada, the Sierra Sur began to be populated and the extensive water network that the Moors had built over the centuries was put to use: a series of canals, irrigation channels, ditches and water mills. At the end of the 19th century, the town still had numerous mills, including Estanquillo, Fuente de los Chorros, Molinillo, Veredón and Chircales.

The one with the most fascinating history was the Santa Ana mill. It was Juanín LeClerque who recovered the mill in 1540, a year after he arrived in the area, and both he and his family continued to work the mill until 1904. In 1921 Jacinto Parra Martínez, a local resident, acquired the mill and put it to work.

Due to low production, in 1979 it was closed after more than four centuries of activity. Today, as a result of the dedication of the Parra family, especially Serafín Parra, the building now houses a museum dedicated to the mill and the flour manufacturing process in the pre-industrial era which involved using the waters of the Vadillo River.

The most interesting part of the mill is that which houses the machinery, which enabled the general movement of all the machinery. It consists of two hollows and two millstones. Above the hollows, on the ground floor, is the milling room, and on the upper floor there is a cleaning room. This is where you can see the machinery that cleans and washes the flour.