The ruined old alum factory in Mazarron
Alum was the main source of wealth in Mazarrón in the Late Middle Ages
Alum is a chemical compound containing potassium which was much used in the Late Middle Ages to fix colouring in tanning and textiles, and the substance plays an important role in the history of Mazarrón due to its being found naturally in the minerals of the old mines just outside the town.
This was a particularly valuable commodity which also had other industrial, domestic and even medical applications, and there is evidence that the natural resource was being exploited in the late 14th century, when King Enrique IV granted the mining concession in the area to the Marquises of Villena and Los Vélez. The industry continued to prosper until 1592, when the mines were closed after a marked decrease in exports outside Spain.
However, from 1774 onwards there was a revival of interest in the treatment of residues or alum sediments (known as “almagras”) in the preparation of tobacco. On a small scale this industry continued in Mazarrón until quite recently, and white alum was used by barbers as a disinfectant after shaving each customer.
The remains of the old alum factory just outside Mazarrón, next to the junction of the RM-3 motorway and the RM-D4 road, still contains some of the rooms, pools, washing containers and water storage units which were used to trat the minerals, as well as drying areas, the stand for a water wheel and the old smelting ovens. It is the oldest alum factory still visible in Mazarrón, although tow other more recent ones still exist.
All round the factory the soil has been coloured red by the sediment (a colour which was popularly known as “almagra” or “almazarrón”), matching the surreal landscape of the abandoned mines on higher ground nearby.
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