The Town Hall of the Alpujarreño village of Carataunas will convert its old oil mill into a museum; i.e., one dedicated to how people lived (socio-cultural anthropology).

The restoriation of the old mill, situated in the centre of the village, has created space for traditional tools and material used in the production of olive oil as well as agricultural tools in general.

Once upon a time, Carataunas had two mills and several textile looms because its population was much larger than today with its 200 inhabitants, which makes it together with Lobras and Juviles the least populated municipalities in the Alpujarra Granadina. Lying 764 metres above sea level it only covers 4.6 sq/m in extension

In 1980 the population was right down to 164 with families living in poverty; there was no drinking water or toilets in the cortijos and no nearby schools for the few children there were. It wasn’t until the arrival of the hippies in the late 70s and the beginning of the 80s that many abandoned cortijos were found new inhabitants who lovingly restored them breathing life back into the village. Most inhabitants now live in the municipal dependency of Cañadillas

The Alpujarra Granadina has dozens of oil mills once upon a time with the largest being, Molino de Benizalte in Órgiva. There were mills in Alcázar de Venus, Fregenite, Bayacas, Cádiar, Juviles, Mecina Alfahar, Lújar, Turón, Mecina Tedel, Jorairátar, amongst others going back centuries. In fact, it was the Romans that introduced the olive tree into Spain.

(News: Carataunas, Alpujarra, Granada, Andalucia)