Mills in Alto Aragón - harinero, aceitero
Mondot - Viliellas
Mondot and certainly this mill
is not that easily found.
From the main road between L'Ainsa and Barbastro turn to Lamata in Mesón
de Ligüerre de Cinca. Follow the long narrow road and turn right just before Olsón where Mondot is signposted.
Once there turn right into the village and park the car.
From the church follow the main dirt road to the graveyard.
A trifle further on there is a lesser branch to the left leading slowly down which will bring you
to the brink of the canyon more or less at the spot of
pict. 1. Find your way down, cross
the farmland and walk then against the stream until you'll reach the molino which, I think, is known as Molino
Viliellas.
Pictures: 31.iii.2010
The mill is on the Río Susía. Though I looked for the dam
and the intake point, I couldn't locate the beginning of the canal. That is probably because
the construction of a small pumping station has destroyed the site. The rest
of the canal is still there — not very clear, but still traceable to where it falls into the reservoir (10).
The lake is impressive in every aspect: huge size, awful depth, good masonry —
pictures 10 and 11 are taken from the same spot but in opposite directions. The pond at its end is
5 m deep (12) and counts two broad mouths (13) towards the wheels. With such a massive body of water no
extra pressure building device like a cubo was needed.
Only the left outlet (saetín, 13) is open; the drain at the right has been sealed.
This corresponds with the situation at the other end of the wall. One cárcavo (14) is empty and in the other
—below the olive crusher— a solid botana and arbol (16) can be seen. The silt probably
hides a wooden wheel.
Both cárcavos open into a depression from where the water
is drained away through a long tunnel (17) below the terraces which are contained by huge walls (18, 19).
Somewhere in these walls the tunnel opens and gives the water back to the river.
