Buera: Los Corrales

Buera is situated not far from Alquézar. From Barbastro take the road that longs the Río Vero and passes through Castillazuelo, Pozán and Huerta de Vero. At some point Buera is signposted to the right. From the parking at the entry of the village turn left —follow the signs for the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Dulcis. Park your vehicle at the designated space and walk back about 400m to where a dirt road leaves the asphalt road. Follow this road down into the Barranco del Pozo and then up again between the fields until you come at some collapsed constructions: el Caserío Los Corrales. The track turns to the left and that's the point where you should find a path meandering down to the rivulet and the mill (1). The mill is in a rather bad shape, but still worth the effort for sure.

Pictures: 18.VIII.2010

(3) Año 1867 - Torno ???

The mill is very inconspicuous because due to the topography the construction seems to be sunk into the ground and furthermore the approach is to the shortest side (1). The roof came down and this gives us the opportunity to get a nice overview of the internal layout after a short climb up the slope at the other side of the barranco (2).

There are two partitions; the major part taking about two thirds of the space is the molino proper. This work place features a door and 2 windows in the front wall. The last window looks into the small room which probably served as a stable (13).


	(4) Molino Caserío Los Corrales in Buera (Sta María de Dulcis)


	(5) En el año 1920 Trabajaron en este molino los oper(adores?) siguientes. Remu do Monclus y Leandro Mur y J(esus??)

The most striking feature of the façade is the large text telling us who were operating the enterprise in 1920. Centered above the door (4 left) another even more weathered text can be found (3): Año 1867 and below that Torno with something more but undecipherable. Half of the door opening is blocked by stonework. I wonder why that was done: it's certainly less convenient than before.

Once inside (no pun intended) you'll immediately notice the press at the far end left and a milling stone at the right (6).

We've seen an exactly the same press —with a screw, four poles and commanded by a wheel placed much lower— at La Muela (Naval, in good shape) and in Mipanas (skeletonized).

The number on the press (10) can't be for the type because we have several finds of the same make and all are numbered individually. It must be a serial number.

Let's have a closer look at our data.

Site	Year	Serial
La Muela	1864	24
Buera	1867	53
Mipanas	1880	82

There is a jump of 29 items in the first three years and another 29 more in the next thirteen years — hardly the sign of a booming business. This coincides with La Maquinista focussing on hydraulic presses and steam engines (see Mipanas). A meagre 58 presses sold to small enterprises in the olive oil industry —in 17 years; that is less than 4 each year!— were certainly not enough for the company to survive. Railways and heavy industries was the way they choose to go.

(13)

The mashing stone (11) is big with a diameter of about 160cm. At most sites the ∅ is only a metre or less. The embalse is bordered by a row of small bricks like in Abizanda.

This corner of the mill is dominated by brambles and thorny shrubs but with some effort the side room can be reached (13). The space is empty apart from a trough against the wall opposite the entrance. This must have been the resting place for the animals turning the stone. At other places the beasts had their spot separated from the mill proper and with its own door (e.g. Bara) but here —like in Troncedo— the access is through the workplace.