El Cotillo lime kilns, Historic lime kilns in El Cotillo, Spain.
El Cotillo lime kilns are five industrial stone structures standing near the Tostón defensive tower, featuring cone-shaped forms with openings at the top and entrance doors at the base. These facilities were designed to process limestone through controlled burning, with each kiln built to handle continuous batches of raw material.
These kilns were built in the 18th century to meet growing demand for building materials across the region. They became key to the local economy, enabling the export of lime products to other Canary Islands through nearby port facilities.
The kilns reflect the practical skills that local artisans developed over time, passing down knowledge about fire management and material transformation through their work. Walking around these structures today, you can sense how central this trade was to the village's everyday life.
The site is walkable and accessible from the village center, with outdoor access to view the structures from multiple angles. Morning visits offer better lighting to see the details of the stonework and the surrounding landscape.
The kilns required precise temperature control between 800 and 1000 degrees Celsius, with burning cycles that could last up to a week. This demanding work needed constant supervision and deep knowledge of fire management from the operators.
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