Ethnography · Boniches
Molino de la Luz (Boniches)
Molino de la Luz, on the Cabriel in Boniches, opened in 1915, supplied light to village homes from 1916 and gained an alternator in 1920. It is one of three mills on the river in the municipality, alongside La Herrería, a flour mill, and Los Llanos, of which few remains survive. The Cabriel also carried gancheros, river timber drivers, taking logs down to the Júcar.
- Municipality
- Boniches
- Molino de la Luz
- Electricity
- Cabriel
- Boniches
- Gancheros
Light arrived by river
Molino de la Luz was not a converted flour mill: it was built to generate electricity. It opened in 1915, began supplying light to the homes of Boniches in 1916 and gained an alternator in 1920. The canal crossed the river, and water leaving the power station irrigated gardens on the opposite bank. Each house was entitled to one light bulb; another cost extra. It used the water of the Cabriel, which divides the municipality in two. Logs travelled down the same river for centuries, from the Middle Ages to the mid-20th century: with the thaw, gancheros, river timber drivers, took them towards the Júcar and Levante, where they were used for houses and ships. The trade is described in The gancheros of the Escabas and Guadiela, on rivers in the Tagus basin; the Cabriel drains the other way.
The other mills
There were two others in the municipality: La Herrería and Los Llanos mills: the former nearest the village; few remains survive of the latter.
Plan your visit
Combine with
The PR-CU 66, El Rodenal de Boniches, a PR (short-distance trail), begins along the Cabriel river plain.
Frequently asked questions
What was Molino de la Luz?
A mill opened in 1915 to generate electricity for Boniches households.
What other mills are there?
La Herrería, nearest the village, was a flour mill, although its name suggests it may originally have been an iron hammer mill; Los Llanos was an old flour mill with few surviving remains.
Carry on from here
Rivers and basins
Following the water from Molino de la Luz (Boniches)
Follow these watercourses to where they meet, to their villages and to the memories of their basin.
Lands and landscapes
From here, follow the memory of the land
These readings connect Molino de la Luz (Boniches) with the stories, the work and the villages around it.
Where it is
Where the data on this page come from
- Name
- Asociación Cultural Los Ojos del Júcar source consulted, 5 October 2026
- Municipality (INE code)
- Asociación Cultural Los Ojos del Júcar source consulted, 5 October 2026
«Source consulted»: the primary source has been read. «Reference located»: the source has been identified but not yet read. «Open question»: the figure needs confirmation.