Consuegra Windmills

On the Cerro Calderico ridge above the town of Consuegra, in the province of Toledo, twelve white windmills stand in a line beside a medieval castle. This is the landscape of La Mancha that Miguel de Cervantes brought to life in Don Quixote, where the knight mistakes windmills for giants.

The mills of La Mancha

Thirteen windmills once stood on the ridge, and twelve have been restored. Some date back to the 16th century. Unlike Dutch mills, the mills of La Mancha are round, whitewashed stone towers with a conical roof that turns to face the wind. They ground wheat for the farms of the surrounding plain.

Every mill carries a name taken from Don Quixote. The best known is Molino Sancho, a 16th-century mill that was the first to be restored with traditional methods and materials. Four mills still have machinery in good working order.

The castle

In the middle of the ridge stands the Castle of La Muela, of Muslim origin and later rebuilt and enlarged in the 12th century by the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. From its walls you can see the mills stretching away on both sides, with the plain of La Mancha below.

Visiting tips

• Drive or walk up to the ridge in the late afternoon: the light on the white mills is best as the sun goes down.
• Late October brings the Saffron Rose Festival, when the purple crocus fields around the town are in bloom and the harvest is celebrated.
• The ridge is very exposed. In summer, bring water and avoid the midday heat.

Key facts