The difficulties in the use of the waters of the Júcar. The mill, the weir and the ferris wheel of Matada (13th-16th centuries)

Abstract

After the reconstruction of an Andalusi mill near the river Jucar, in Matada, started the story of a medieval hydraulic complex composed by a weir, a mill, and a large waterwheel for irrigation. That will allow us to study thoroughly some areas that Valencian historiography of mills has not always considered: the relationship between settlement and hydraulic systems, the income it generated and its administration, its cost and the impact in local or regional economy, on the eve of the feudal conquest until the beginnings of modern times.