Caravaca de la Cruz Museo Etnografico en Miniatura Angel Reinon

An extraordinary collection of miniatures dedicated to the ethnographic history of Caravaca de la Cruz

This is an extraordinary little museum and anyone who loves remarkable engineering and appreciates skilled craftsmanship should go and see it, marvelling at the skill and patience of one man, Ángel Reinón Sánchez, who is responsible for every last piece of this special collection.

With our high-tech convenience lifestyle it is hard to imagine a world without modern technology, or have any comprehension how slow the pace of life would have been when every action, every necessity involved a manual process, Everything which was used in daily life required laborious processes, with no mechanisation until well into the 20th century.

These days we take it for granted that we can just pop into a supermarket and pick up a loaf of bread, but through these miniatures Ángel Reinón, who was born in 1924, shows us how his parents produced their bread - right from ploughing the field using livestock, to sowing the seed by hand, cutting the wheat by hand, gathering it, threshing it, grinding and making the storage jars to hold it from the rain, gringing the wheat, kneading by the light of a hand made lamp and then baking in the town's bakery.

He shows us the tools of the carpenters who made everything from furniture to tools, yokes for the animals, wooden spoons to eat, wooden presses, wooden buckets , wooden wheels.

The blacksmiths, paper makers, distillers, bakers, weavers and cheesemakers, all practising their trade with the skill of their hands, and those who were involved in Caravacas biggest export trade- the manufacture of espadrilles, hemp shoes.

This was an incredibly laborious process, which employed 5000 people at the end of the 20th century. The hemp was soaked for weeks, before being broken to separate the fibres, then "scotched" to crush the fibres. These were then "rippled" to obtain clean threads which were sold in bales to the master espadrille makers, who would distribute the work.

Women made rope with the peelings, and spinners created twine and yarn. Warpers made the sole with hemp rope, and the women glued them to a canvas upper, sewing and decorating the finished product.

It was unbelievably hard work, now rendered obsolete by technological advances and the creation of artificial materials.

The whole industry supported an army of associated trades, keeping those who made the tools and equipment involved busy, as well as those who supplied the workers with other essential services.

The whole process sustained the town, creating the independent and close-knit communities that so strongly form the basis of Spanish society today- each relying on another for his individual skills, and many hands making light work at important times such as the harvest.

These pieces evoke a bygone age, and slowly bring the visitor to the modern age, including modern day tractors, lathes and sophisticated miniature engineering works of art, every single moving piece working, each model being a full working replica of their full sized cousins.

The artist was born in 1924 into a family of blacksmiths, learning his craft from childhood, and desperately proud that two of his sons and now his grandson have followed in the footsteps of the family tradition and are still working in the family forge today, albeit with slightly different tools.

After more than 50 years working as a blacksmith, these models became his retirement project.

Each group of exhibits has an excellent information card in English to explain a little about the groupings, which are well put together and very interesting.

Practical Information for visiting the Ethnographic museum, Caravaca de la Cruz

Museo Etnografico en Miniatura, Angel Reinon

Calle Puentecilla No 3, Bajo (this is just before the entrance to the old quarter and is alongside Plaza del Arco) There are no steps and access is easy for those with mobility issues.

Tel: 968 79 56 20

Fax: 968 79 51 99 

Opening Hours

Please double check opening hours outside Holy Year as they can vary. Telephone 968 702 424.

During the 2017 Holy Year opening hours are as follows:Monday-Saturday 10am-2pm and 4pm-7pm

Sunday 10am to 2pm

Click for more information about the Caravaca de la Cruz municipality