The San Marcos Mill (Aguascalientes, Mexico), Living Heritage

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century, Aguascalientes, Mexico, especially the capital of the state, had a great economic strength: with the arrival of the railroad and the establishment of the General Workshops of the Mexican Central Railway Company, commercial activity grew considerably, mainly around the railway facilities. Julio Díaz Torre, an Asturian merchant, arrived to the city in 1927 and after selling chiles and cereals, founded a flour mill that eventually had the name of the city’s patron saint, San Marcos (Saint Mark). San Marcos Mill, together with “La Perla” (“The Pearl”), “El Hércules” (“The Hercules”) and “La Harinera de Aguascalientes” (“The flour mill of Aguascalientes”) mills, were an important part of the industrial zone that settled next to the former railway workshops of which, only San Marcos Mill is still in operation. This paper focuses on the development of this milling company in the city and its evolution to this day, as well as the relevant role of its owner in the industry and commerce of Aguascalientes. The purpose is to expose the relevance of this industry and the historical-technological importance of the machinery with which it worked; its urban, economic and architectural role in the city, as a transforming and patrimonial element of it.