Torre de los Perdigones, Industrial tower in Macarena district, Seville, Spain

Torre de los Perdigones is a 58-metre brick tower, the only remaining structure of the San Francisco de Paula shot factory. Its upper floor holds a dark chamber with a white screen, a mirror and magnifying lenses in a periscope-like tube; light entering a window projects a moving image of Seville onto the screen.

The tower belonged to the San Francisco de Paula foundry, founded by Manuel de Mata y Muñoz in 1885 (some sources say 1890) and known as the Fábrica de Perdigones. Molten lead was poured through sieves at the top; the drops fell and solidified into shot. The factory closed in the 1950s and was demolished, leaving only the tower, restored for Expo '92 and again in 2005.

The tower's name comes from the lead shot (perdigones) made inside it: molten lead was poured through sieves of different calibres and fell as droplets into water. Since 28 March 2007 the upper part has housed a camera obscura, a lens-and-mirror device that projects a live, moving image of Seville onto a white screen, letting visitors watch the Guadalquivir, churches and even the airport in real time.

The tower stands on Calle Resolana in the San Gil neighbourhood, beside the Puente de la Barqueta. A restaurant occupies the ground floor, while the camera obscura sits in the upper part and shows the city as if seen from 45 metres up. The surrounding gardens, offices and the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Seville are on foot from the tower.

The tower's top holds a camera obscura installed for its 2007 opening as a tourist attraction: light enters through a window, hits a mirror and passes through magnifying lenses onto a white screen, showing a moving image of the Guadalquivir, churches and even the airport. The tower stands 58 metres high, and the projected view corresponds to a height of 45 metres, almost half that of the Giralda.