Puntos de Interés
Infrastructure
Muíños de Vento de Abalo (Abalo Windmills)
At the top of Monte Mesón stand three windmills which, from north to south, are named Muíño do Monte Mesón, Muíño de Míguez and Muíño do Loureiro. These names derive from the former owners, who traditionally marked their initials on the door lintel. The mills were constructed at various times in the mid-19th century and two of them have currently been restored.
From their privileged position, the mills offer a commanding panoramic view of the area. One can see the mouth of the River Ulla in the Ría de Arousa, the hills housing the other windmills of the municipality and the scattered settlements of Catoira.
These mills follow the traditional Galician model, with a circular floor plan excavated slightly into the terrain, granite masonry walls and a gable roof covered with local clay tiles secured with stones to withstand coastal winds. However, what really distinguishes them is their double-sail system, a mechanism uncommon outside Galicia. This design features sails on both sides of the mill, joined by a beam that crosses the structure in a northwest-southwest direction to harness the prevailing winds. In addition, the sails, made entirely of wood, are not arranged perpendicularly to the axis of rotation, allowing them to effectively harness lateral winds.
Inside the mill, a gear system transforms the horizontal movement of the sails into a vertical movement, driving the grinding mechanism. This consists of two millstones: a fixed one on the floor and a mobile one (the runner stone) that rotates above it to crush the grain. The millers could also adjust the temple of the mill - the distance between the millstones - allowing regulation of the fineness of the flour according to specific needs.