How did people in Betancuria get their water before modern plumbing? Right here, you see the Noria de la Calle. The Noria de la Calle is a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of the people who once relied on it for their livelihood. This isn’t just any well. It’s a window into a time when water was drawn not by electricity, but by the strength of animals and the clever use of simple machines. Imagine a time before electricity, when the lifeblood of this community flowed from the earth, drawn by the steady rhythm of a camel or donkey. The Noria de la Calle was a lifeline, its wooden gears and ropes creaking under the strain of hauling water from the depths below. This ingenious system, known as a “noria de tiro” or “blood noria,” used animal traction to power a horizontal gear. This gear in turn moved a vertical wheel, from which hung a series of clay pots. As the animal walked, the pots plunged into the well, drawing up water and emptying it into a channel that carried it to the nearby fields and homes. The Noria de la Calle, with its capacity to draw 105 liters with each rotation of its 15 seven-liter pots, was a marvel of its time. It’s a reminder of the hard work and ingenuity that sustained life in this arid land for generations, until the arrival of modern pumps in the 1970s.
Molino de los Llanos de la Concepción
Had anyone ever seen such a sight? The Molino de los Llanos de la Concepción stood proudly against the Fuerteventura