Windmills of Torre Pacheco, El Pasico

Molino del Pasico (Torre Pacheco)

The Molino del Pasico is located in the outskirts of the town of Torre Pacheco, next to the church of Nuestra Señora del Pasico in the pedanía  of Hortichuela.

Although this is within the municipality of Torre Pacheco, it is part of the Campo de Cartagena, an agricultural area with richly fertile soil, agriculture traditionally being the main economic activity of the area.

Windmills have existed in the area since the 16^th century, and those which produced flour were an essential part of life and the economy in Murcia, along with the water mills, from the 18^th century until the mid-twentieth ( Click, History of Torre Pacheco) .

There are many examples of windmills throughout the Campo de Cartagena, and those in the municipalityof Torre Pacheco are amongst the best preserved, thanks to the restoration and preservation work carried out on them by the Town Hall (in the case of this mill, in 1991). This work has saved the windmill from the fate of so many, and is a valuable educational tool, as well as a symbol of the agricultural heritage of Torre Pacheco.

 The mill is circular in structure, with a slight tapering as it gets higher, typical of this kind of building. The masonry uses lime and sand cement, whitewashed on the outside. The roof is made of wood, and is built following a design which allows the sails to be moved in order to catch the wind as efficiently as possible.

Inside there were three floors, made from wood, which housed the machinery needed to produce the flour. This machinery has been completely restored, and is now in perfect working order.

The documented history of the mill reveals that in 1844, in the outlying village of La Hortichuela, there was a flour mill owned by Juan Roca Saura until 1855, after which it remained in his family under the ownership of Antonio Roca Aparicio until 1869 except for two years when it appears to have been run by Mateo García (1863 to 1864). In 1910 it was finally acquired by Francisco Nieto Cañavete, and it this point it became known as the Molino del Pasico.

The last owner to use the mill to produce flour was Mateo Nieto, who took it over in 1940, and since his death it has remained in his family.

Each year Torre Pacheco honours its millers in the day of the windmills, ( click Day of the windmills) and this windmill is hung with its sails and opened to the public so that it can be seen working.

The windmill can also be visited in person by groups via prior arrangement with the tourist office, who are happy to arrange visits to the local windmills and some of the agricultural exploitations for a small fee.

Click for map, Molino de Pasico Torre Pacheco