The Molino and its water system

The Molino de Riocerezo brings together the town’s milling heritage and its water system. It is located in Barrio Arriba beside the canal that supplies water to the town’s vegetable gardens. As a visible testament to the local ethnographic heritage, the mill has been preserved but is no longer in operation.

The Molino used water from the local stream to operate. The water was channelled through a small weir or millrace and set a waterwheel in motion; this drove the millstones. This reveals a clear sequence of operations: water was channelled, its movement transferred, and it was used for milling. The site therefore represents not only a building, but also a technical use of hydropower. A millrace is a man-made watercourse; a weir dams or deliberately diverts the water.

Churches in different styles and forms

The Iglesia de San Juan Bautista dates from the 15th century and has Gothic-Cistercian and Baroque influences. The Iglesia de Santa María is a prominent landmark in the town centre. Its main structure dates from the 16th and 17th centuries; it has a single-nave layout with side chapels, a polygonal apse and, inside, a ribbed star vault.

A single-nave layout describes a floor plan organised around a main nave; side chapels extend the space on either side. A polygonal apse closes off the building with several wall surfaces. The ribbed star vault structures the ceiling with ribs that form a star-like pattern. Santa María can therefore be understood in terms of both its spatial form and vault, as well as the dating of its main structure. For San Juan Bautista, by contrast, the style descriptions and 15th-century date are the main points. The date ranges also differ in scope: the reference to the 16th and 17th centuries at Santa María applies to its main structure.

Fuente Romana and the Vía de Bayona

Another example of the built heritage is the Fuente Romana, a small stone structure with a gabled roof. A round arch spans the water outlet. The two forms can be distinguished: the gabled roof forms the top, while the round arch frames the opening above the water. Unlike the Molino, the focus here is not a waterwheel with millstones, but the built structure around a water outlet.

The route connection also provides a geographical context: the Vía de Bayona passes through Riocerezo and then connects with the Camino Francés at the entrance to Burgos. Riocerezo therefore lies along the route of the Vía de Bayona; the connection with the Camino Francés comes later, at the entrance to Burgos. Passing through the town and joining the route later are two distinct parts of this route connection.

For an overview of the wider journey: Valle De Las Navas.