16 Molinos de Agua y Lavaderos

Gofio, a toasted flour of indigenous origin, was the staple food for Canarians over centuries. In order to obtain it, up to thirteen mills like this were used in Villa de La Orotava since the 16th century, which used the force of water to generate the power necessary to mill the toasted grains (tafeña). Currently, two of the remaining ten mills are still in operation, even though they have replaced the force of water with electric power. As for the Lavaderos (washing place) in the street of San Francisco, they provide a good example of areas linked to the provision of water for public use. They show two very different structures that belong to different historic moments. On the one side, the primitive 16th-century lavaderos are those built around the water canal, which have stone slabs for washing clothes. On the other side, there are also lavaderos made of cement, which were built in 1945.