Mills in Altoaragón - harinero, central eléctrica

Guaso

Guaso is easily reached from L'Ainsa. From the main cross-roads cross the Río Ara towards Barbastro and after the bridge take immediately right where Guaso is signposted. Don't trust your map: some recent maps show the road on the wrong side of the river! Continue - you will cross the Río Ena - until you reach a bunch of houses at the foot of a higher plateau. Turn right towards the Río Ara. The road is becoming narrow and it's best to drop the car first occasion after the bend. Walk the rest of the way and come back using other paths to get a picture of the impressive water management system.

Pictures: V.2001


	Mill with Guaso on top of the hill		Old map showing the flows in the channel system

The mill of Guaso lies quite some distance from the village and almost 200 m lower in the valley of the Río Ara. The circle on map 211 of the Spanish Instituto Geográfico y Catastral (2a ed. 1952) shows the position of the mill between the Río Ara and Río Ena. Notice the red lines radiating away from that point showing how the mill provided Boltaña, Guaso, Latorrecilla and Ainsa with energy.

The map shows another surprising thing. Look carefully and learn from the arrows that the water originally came from the Río Ena. Today it looks like the main mass of water reaches the mill from the left (Río Ara). All channels are very well maintained because they are still needed for irrigation.


	Mill: front with second collapsed building.		Mill: back with closed immense water reservoir.

The pictures are proof of the thorough construction activities. We couldn't enter the building (some other time perhaps) so I don't know how much of the machinery is preserved. But I have every confidence in the present owner because the stones (below) were not thrown away but carefully stowed aside.


	Old mill stone		Some forgotten parts of a pylon

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