Los molinitos de la gente: arquitectura popular en el Río Grande del Norte, 1600-1950

For centuries, acequias and small grist mills in northern New Mexico villages played a major role in the agricultural economy of the region following the introduction of wheat from the Old World to the Americas. Wheat, in its ground form as flour, was a staple during the Spanish colonial period of the region. To process raw wheat, local mills (molinos) were essential infrastructure as were the acequias (ditches) that powered them. Most molinos were built from logs and were situated near the banks of watercourses. The wheel and axle were driven by the gravity force of water drawn from an acequia, itself diverted from a river. A few others were built from adobe bricks or stones, and at least in one case, a family adobe mill on the Camino Real was powered by burros. Researchers have documented the existence of several hundred small mills, often referred to as “traditional molinos,” spread throughout New Mexico with references in 1599 and 1601 at the first Spanish settlement, San Gabriel. While most fell into disuse by the late 1930s, a few continued in service until the 1940s and 1950s. We call them molinitos de la gente to distinguish them from the larger commercial mills built by wealthy merchants and other outside investors to supply wheat and other grains to U.S. Army posts and Indian reservations in New Mexico and the Southwest under contracts with the government. The molinitos, on the other hand, were family-owned and served the needs of local villages through bartering or other fee arrangements set by each miller. Unlike the permanent commercial mills, these small-scale mills were susceptible to the effects of weather conditions and required maintenance or replacement after decades of use, and most collapsed after prolonged periods of non-use and abandonment.