Os Teixois Ethnographic Ensemble

• Taramundi
• Ethnographic set

Os Teixois is one of the most interesting ethnographic sites in Asturias, where we can find several hydraulic devices recovered and available to anyone who wishes to visit them.

The Os Teixois mallet is already documented in the XVIII century in the Cadastre of the Marquis de la Ensenada. It was used to stretch the iron used to make field tools and other utensils that were later sold at fairs: braziers, frying pans, saucepans, ladles, buckets, bread pans…

The same force of water that flows down from the stream of Las Mestas and that is used to move the mallet, is used to power the mill; the ownership of the mill was shared among several neighbors so that its use was organized according to the system called “quendas” or “calendas”, under which each owner had its use according to the greater or lesser property he had. This same system was also used for the use of the mazo.

When the fabrics or cloths woven in the looms had to have a greater resistance, or a thicker consistency, due to their intended use, they were subjected to a new operation called “abatanado” or “enfurtido”, carried out in the “batanes”, “pisas” or “pisones”, crude wooden machines moved by hydraulic energy and located in the proximities of the rivers whose mission was to produce the beating of the fabrics by means of mallets or “porros”.

The sharpening wheel is located in the shed attached to the base of the bench in order to take advantage of the same water flow used in the rest of the hydraulic devices. It represents a degree of evolution with respect to the traditional hand-operated one and it was used to sharpen all the cutting tools used in the fields.

The visit to the museum is only guided, for this we have a schedule of access, its duration is approximately 40 minutes. In case the group is full, the visit will take place before the scheduled time. Groups are very small due to capacity. No reservations are made. Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis.