Hydraulic Flour Mills in Coquimbo (Chile, 1544-1750)

This paper examines the process by which the Corregimiento de Coquimbo become the main mill pole of Chile, when this kingdom was the largest wheat producer in South America.The evolution of hydraulic mills in this township from the foundation of La Serena (1544) to the middle of the 18th century is studied from original documents of the National Archive, especially Royal Audience and Notaries of La Serena.The importance of the legacy of indigenous peoples in the construction of irrigation canal networks for agriculture is detected. On this basis, the Spanish colonizers had advantages to install the European hydraulic mill culture.The role of specialized artisans, both indigenous and Afro-descendant and Spanish-Creole, is identified. It is detected that the mills operated as poles of consolidation of markets and benchmarks for the configuration of regional trade routes.