Alins

Alins is a village in the Ribagorza region and not near any of the main roads. It is situated on a line between Castejón de Sos and Pont de Suert a bit to the south from Laspaúles. The corn mill, however, is best reached from the south by taking the A-1605 running from Graus, over La Puebla de Roda and Bonansa towards the N-230 and Pont. You'll find the mill in the bend of the road at the 46 km mark hidden between the trees. The mill took its water from the Río Isábena.

Pictures: 6.viii.2006, 29.vii.2020

The construction

The waterworks

Water was tapped from the Río Isábena quite some distance back against the current. It was difficult to spot the exact place, but I could trace the channel almost the whole length.

The channel first stays close to the river and then runs through meadows (10) where it receives more water from some wells and eventually, close to the bridge, runs out in a communal washing place (11). It then dives under the bridge (12) and soon runs parallel to the road but at some distance(13). The last stretch is made of concrete and lies next to the road (14, 15).

(10)

At the height of the mill it makes a sharp turn to the left and between two higher earthen walls arrives at the mill. At this spot the canal becomes slightly wider but there is no real pond.

The last few meters to the wheel are bridged by an open wooden pipe (at places patched with zinc) (16, 17, 18). An open chute is a primitive feature that has disappeared almost everywhere else. Other open chutes can be seen in the mill of Lacabezonada, in Ainielle, and in the Indian gharats.

(11)

(14) Last stretch of the canal with mill behind the trees (left).

(15) End of the canal

(16) Chute from wood with repairs

(19) The deflector device (paradera)

(20) Blades from wood on a central dish from iron

The wheel, rodezno, was renovated in the 1960s (†). The blades were made by a carpenter in Vilaller, and brought to the mill as individual parts. They were then mounted on site on the central dish to form a new wheel.

What makes this mill definitely worth a visit is the way in which the water flow over the wheel was regulated. Not with a pressure pipe and a nozzle with a shutter like everywhere else, but with a deflector, a paradera (19). When the deflector is in the down position as shown, the water jet from the chute is dispersed and the wheel stops. When the deflector is up, the action of the water will spin the wheel.

In our entire study area there are only three mills where a deflector system has been preserved in good condition: here, in Lacabezonada, and in Sarsa da Surta.