Restored animal powered water wheels, which were formerly used for two water wells in Betancuria

The project aims to recover an infrastructure dating back to the introduction of mechanical means to obtain water Fuerteventura

The Ministry of Culture and Historical Heritage of the council is promoting a project that is currently running in the town of Betancuria, with the aim of recovering two interesting cultural property of all the historical capital of the Canaries, the wells formerly used for draft get water in the Well and the Well Street Los Peña.

The use of such structures, which combine mechanical gears with animal traction to get water from wells on the island, became widespread in Fuerteventura from the mid-nineteenth century, then abandoned in the mid-twentieth century with the arrival of new extraction techniques.

This project, developed by the Department of Heritage Hall and executed with the Corporation's own staff, began in late October last year and will extend over the coming weeks.

The area advisor in the Cabildo, Genara Ruiz, highlighting the work of staff of the Corporation in implementing the project. "Teachers carpenters workshops council have done a great job, first recovering mechanical parts and gears of the original wells, and then playing the wooden structures of these wells with great precision."

Generates Ruiz added that "the outcome in the first Ferris wheel, which is now nearing completion in the Well Street, is not only very pleasing to the eye but also functional. Once the jars are installed, they may re-draw water with a donkey or a camel as it was done the last century. " The adviser also emphasized "the tourist attraction that could mean for the visitors to witness the process is so appealing and genuine."

During the process of restoring these water infrastructure has reproduced the look of weathered wood of the original wells. For this, the master carpenters of the council have applied an aging arena applying pressure on the surface of the wood.

History of the wells

One element that characterizes the cultural landscape of Fuerteventura are artifacts known to lift water wells. These devices, which revolved until mid-twentieth century on the island, were distributed mainly in the center of the island and had presence in areas like Tuineje, Pajara Water Steers, Antigua, Vega de Rio Palmas and Valley Betancuria Santa Ines.

Noria is an Arabic term meaning wheel. Although its use is based on theoretical knowledge of Hellenistic times, and its origin is attributed to the Persian people in Fuerteventura, there is no evidence of their use until the second half of the nineteenth century.

Jose de Leon and Falcon, royal commissioner, takes stock of the water resources of the island in 1952, stressing in this paper the absence of mechanical devices for obtaining water throughout Fuerteventura, which leads him to suggest official support for introduction of wells and other structures.

Already in the 1880s, several historians and travelers in his writings reflected the presence of these structures on the island, including Agustín Millares (1881), Verneau (1886), or Olivia Stone (1884).

Puerto del Rosario, on 5 January 2010.

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