Pitres: Molinos and a chorrerón

Such an interesting day! On our way to the Chorrerón de Pitres, a waterfall on the Río Bermejo with a vertical drop of 70 meters, we saw an official posting by the Community of Irrigators of Pitres; then four of the five water mills on the river; and on the way back, the changes from a Donald Gray sketch of Capilerilla.

Finding such evocative remains of two of the old mills was a nice surprise. Water-powered mills were an integral part of village life in the Alpujarra from medieval times to the 20th century, but the only other mills we have seen on this trip were above Cáñar in March. Two of the mills we saw today have been converted into houses, and the other two were in ruins. However, we were able to see several of the essential parts under a tangle of grass and vines.

Almost immediately after we climbed up above the first mill, we saw the channel that carried water to it. This channel looks like an acequia and is called a caz. It took off from the river at a point high above the mill, and carried water to what looks like a stone chimney, called a cubo. The cubo could have one, two, or even three stone tubes within it dropping the water onto a drive-train far below, depending on how many wheels the mill was running. The one we saw today was a single cubo.

Up to the waterfall and back via a new route through Capilerilla made a very satisfying last day at Cortijo Jiménez.Read more