The best walks and hikes around Arenales De San Gregorio

Hill of the Mills (also known as Sierra de los Molinos) in Campo de Criptana. In 1575, the Topographical Reports of Philip II already mentioned “many mills” in the area; in 1752, the Cadastre of the Marquis of Ensenada recorded 34 mills in Campo de Criptana. Currently, 10 mills are preserved, three of them (Infante, Burleta, and Sardinero) dating from the 16th century with their original machinery. The complex has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest and designated a “Historic Site.”

Return to the town of Campo de Criptana

The municipality is in the region of La Mancha, bordering Cuenca and Toledo, and is known for the Pedro Muñoz-Mota del Cuervo lagoon complex. The old houses made of masonry and mud bricks stand out, such as the Casa de La Paca. Church of San Pedro: Built between the 17th and 18th centuries, with a Latin cross plan and a barrel vault.

The Sierra de los Molinos is the place where the famous windmills are built. It is the top of a hill where the open space ensures the wind that would move its blades in its time. Of the more than thirty windmills that once existed, ten of them are preserved, called: Sardinero located on the Cerro de la Paz and Burleta, Infanto, Cariari, Culebro, Inca Garcilaso, Lagarto, Pilón, Poyatos and Quimera located in the Sierra de los Molinos. Their existence inspired Cervantes to narrate "The Battle of Don Quixote against the Giants", in chapter VIII of "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha", where Don Quixote mistook the windmills for giants against whom to fight.

These iconic mills are symbols of Campo de Criptana and all of Castilla-La Mancha. Its blades preside over the life of the town of La Mancha from above. The mills are of the “tower” type, built in masonry and whitewashed with lime. They have a circular plan pierced with small windows, which served as a guide for the orientation of the wind. This indicated where to turn the conical cover so that its blades could take advantage of the wind as desired. Each mill has three floors: the upper one with the grinding stones and the lower ones for storage and packaging. The oldest mills, such as the Sardinero, Burleta and Infante, have been standing since the 16th century and preserve their original mechanism. There are also more modern mills, such as the Inca Garcilaso, the Cariari, the Vicente Huidobro, the Pilón, the Lagarto, the Culebro and the Poyatos, which date back to 1900. Currently, some of these mills can be visited, such as the Molino Infante, the Burleta, the Culebro (which houses the Sara Montiel Museum), the Quimera (which houses the town's Holy Week Museum) and the Poyatos Mill (current tourist information point). The others are closed to the public. I hope you enjoy exploring these iconic windmills! 😊

Also beautiful to look at at dusk

The mills are located on a hill. You imagine they are the giants that Don Quixote fought against. Site of cultural interest.

This wonderful lagoon located on the outskirts of Pedro Muñoz can be explored following the circular path along its perimeter. In addition, you can observe the birds it hosts from the observatories set up for this purpose. Without a doubt, an experience that you can enjoy as a family.