This tower that we can see on the façade is part of an old flour windmill, popularly known as the Molino de ca’n Pere Antoni. In the same way, very close to this one, we also find the Molino des Forn, in calle Jaume Balmés number 7 and 9, and the Molino de ca’n Marçal des Pebre, located in calle Albert Castell, number 17. In total, in all of Marratxí, there are eight flour windmills. This type of windmills found at the top of Pòrtol were introduced in the Balearic Islands during the 19th century. Even so, in Spain they seem to date back to the early 16th century. The milling industry reached its peak of splendour in the Middle Ages, continuing until the 18th and 19th centuries.
The main function, as the word mill itself indicates, which comes from the Latin word molinum and is linked to the concept of grinding, was the milling, in this specific case, of grain, to turn it into flour and finally into bread. Likewise, in other places, these types of mills were also used to grind salt. They were generally installed in those places that did not have enough water to operate a hydraulic mill, the one moved by the force of water. They were a key element in agrarian societies based on a self-subsistence system. Over time, the appearance and consolidation of flour mills, between the end of the 19th century and the 20th century, led to a gradual abandonment of flour windmills.
In general, the mill tower does not start from the ground but stands on a quadrangular or, as in this case, circular base, known as the ‘cintell’. The cintell could be used to raise the mill to a greater height and thus receive the wind currents more directly, as a storehouse for storing sacks of wheat or flour or as a dwelling for the millers, depending on its size. This element seems to be exclusive to the mills of the Balearic Islands.
As for the tower, it is most common for it to be cylindrical, which is the best way to cope with heavy fanning. It is common for the mill to have two access doors, as we can see in this case. This is due to safety reasons, since when the mill was in operation, and it was necessary to go in or out, it was necessary to avoid getting too close to the antennas. Oral history and written documentation tell us of frequent accidents. Inside, we find a stone spiral staircase, which allowed access to the upper machinery.
At the top we would find the dome -nowadays disappeared-, where the roof of the mill is located and which is joined by an axis to the antennae, a set of antennae that, moved by the force of the wind, make the machinery inside the mill start working by means of a chain work. The first step in its operation was to put the grain inside a wooden box called a tremuja, where it fell through a conduit into the eye of the mola. The molas were two large stone wheels that were placed one on top of the other, and where the grain was crushed in the middle.
