Molino de arriba - Adeje

Centuries ago, Adeje owned a spectacular water source in the Barranco del Infierno ravine , where the only stream on the island of Tenerife that flows through a gigantic canyon is still preserved.

Once the water of the Adeje River was diverted, it was used to supply water to the city itself , to irrigate the sugar cane fields, as a motive power for the sugar and the water mills used for the production of gofio (dish composed from unsifted flour of roasted grains).

There were four watermills in Adeje : two in Calle de los Molinos, one in La Concepción and another in Hoya Grande.

The Molino de Arriba - also called 'the vertical' or 'aceña' because of the position of the mill wheel in relation to the ground - is located in the area known as 'Agua Pie'. It is a rare example in the Canary Islands , where we do not find this type of mill. These mills were located in watercourses or rivers with a minimum flow , they are technically more advanced. The technical complexity consisted in the need to convert the vertical force into horizontal movement by means of gears to transmit it to the wheels.

This mill was built by the gentlemen of the Casa Fuerte, who rented it until 1897, when it was sold to Francisco Trujillo Clemente, whose descendants are the present owners. It remained in use until the 1950s , the last miller was Mrs. Berta Trujillo Trujillo.

House rules, according to the Casa Fuerte Directory, regarding the mill:

“...Great care must be taken with the mills and the miller is not allowed to grind anything without carrying a certificate to know what he has ground and every week the account is settled with the miller on Saturday and he is charged what he has made...".

Willem Vandenameele