Archaeological intervention at the Los Batanes estate
Historic hydraulic complex in Rascafría
Description of the Los Batanes deposit
The Los Batanes estate is located about two kilometers west of the town of Rascafría. Access is made directly from the N-604 through the Puente del Perdón, in front of the El Paular monastery.
It is a farm historically linked to the Carthusian order, which was installed in El Paular from the end of the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth century, dedicating itself to the intensive exploitation of natural resources in this area of the Sierra del Guadarrama. In the presence of abundant water, thanks to the Lozoya river that runs alongside the farm, wood and stone must be joined. These materials have been fundamental for the economic development of the region to this day.
After the foundation of the Carthusian monastery by King Juan I at the end of the XNUMXth century, the estate was linked to the religious center thanks to the royal acquisition of land and the concession of the exploitation of its economic resources, including, among others, several mills and ponds.
In some documents from the XNUMXth century, the existence of officials in charge of the operation of a paper mill or full mill is attested. From this mill, as time went by, the paper for the "editio princeps" of "El Quijote" by Cervantes came out. According to the Cadastre of the Marqués de la Ensenada, in the XNUMXth century this mill produced fourteen thousand reales a year. After the confiscation and, above all, with the administration and control of the waters of the Lozoya by the Canal de Isabel II at the end of the XNUMXth and early XNUMXth centuries, both the mills and the rest of the hydraulic structures of the farm were left in disuse or They were ruined.
The archaeological complex of "Los Batanes" is characterized mainly by the presence of a complex network of artificial channels or caceras, which collect the flow of the Lozoya River and distribute it through various hydraulic structures such as mills, reservoirs, dams, ponds, etc.
From the Puente del Perdón itself, at the entrance of the farm, you can see some of the pipes and gates that regulated the flow to the various ponds, such as the one located in the Finnish Forest. Along the path that runs through the farm, leaving the Lozoya river on the right, you can see the artificial huts camouflaged among birch, poplar and oak. These canals fed various production structures, such as the building historically known as the "House of the Mazos", archaeologically intervened during 2018, in which different types of soils and an access staircase in perfect condition have been documented. recovered numerous objects of daily use such as scissors, elements belonging to firearms or a porter's plate with the Madrid shield of the bear and the strawberry tree in the center.
Archaeological performance
The recent archaeological interventions have made it possible to document the existence of a water supply channel built with powerful chairs, in which numerous elements of clothing ornamentation - buttons, buckles - and other small metal objects - medals, seals, have been recovered. rings, needles, hooks- dated from the XNUMXth century until well into the XNUMXth century.
This canal, along with a monumental masonry hydraulic reservoir, is located next to the road, running towards the dam of the San Benito Dam, where it is believed that the paper mill could have been located. This imposing construction of ashlar masonry dammed the flow to supply energy to the mill and although the site is currently closed, the perimeter walls and the remains of the old school of San Benito can be seen.
In addition to the archaeological interventions, cleaning work has also been carried out on the structures, removing the intrusive vegetation from the channels and the industrial elements, to facilitate access by visitors to this archaeological zone. New elements have also been identified to incorporate the Los Batanes archaeological site in future interventions.
Apart from these industrial structures, the Los Batanes site has a rich architectural and ethnographic heritage, such as the monumental bridges of Perdón and la Reina, lime kilns, quarries and historical fences.
