La Cienega Acequia, Truchas Molino, 334 Los Pinos Road, Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, NM
Summary
Significance: The Truchas Molino is one of the only example of a Spanish Colonial style grist mills powered by a rodenzo, a horizontal water wheel, that is
currently operational in the United States. These molinos (grist mills) are unique because of their horizontal wheels, which turn in a counterclockwise rotation, and operate without any gear mechanism. After serving the Village of Truchas from 1873-1940, the mill was saved and
moved in 1968, and restored to working condition in 1991. It was relocated alongside La Cienega Acequia, a community shared irrigation ditch that has been active since ca. 1715. The Truchas Molino survives as a unique example of Spanish technological influence, and is a rare survivor of a once prevalent feature of eighteenth and nineteenth century rural northern New Mexico.
Survey number: HAER NM-14-A
Building/structure dates: 1873 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1940 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1968 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1991 Subsequent Work