El Pasico Windmill
Ctra. Torre Pacheco-Roldán, junto a la Ermita
30709
HORTICHUELA (TORRE PACHECO)
Telephone: +34 968 579 937
/ Fax: +34 968 577 964
e-mail: turismo@torrepacheco.es
www.torrepacheco.es
Windmills were introduced throughout the Campo de Cartagena from the 16th century onwards. They are of the Mediterranean type and lateen sail. The presence of flour mills was more frequent from the 18th century to the middle of the 20th century and, together with the mills dedicated to the extraction of water, they were essential to the economy of our region.
Those preserved in the municipality of Torre Pacheco stand out due to the restoration and conservation projects carried out by the Town Hall itself. These actions have returned these giants to their full monumentality and importance. This structure was initially restored in 1991 and has undergone several interventions in subsequent years.
This area has a great agricultural tradition for centuries, with many Roman villas dedicated to the cultivation of cereals documented. Due to this important agrarian tradition, the presence of mills is absolutely necessary to convert wheat into flour or to extract water from the subsoil for irrigation through the conversion of wind power.
"El Pasico" Windmill is located next to the Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de "El Pasico", in the well-known district of Hortichuela. It is part of the Campo de Cartagena region, known for the richness and productivity of its soils.
The structure of the mill is circular, while its elevation, like all mills of its kind, has a truncated cone shape. It is built from masonry locked with lime mortar and sand, whitewashed on the outside. Its roof is made of wood and is constructed in such a way that it allows the sails to move in the direction of the wind.
It has three chambers inside; the upper one contains the machinery needed to grind the grain, the middle one contains the channel through which the flour and the Watt regulator go down, and the ground floor is where the sacks are filled. Nowadays the machinery is completely restored and in perfect condition for use.
The documentation found about this windmill tells us how, in the district of La Hortichuela in 1844, a flour mill was documented under the name of Juan Roca Saura, who was the owner until 1855. It was owned by various people until 1910, when Francisco Nieto Cañavete became the owner of the mill known as "El Pasico". The last active miller was Mateo Nieto from 1940 until his death. It now belongs to the Torre Pacheco city council.