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Path to the watchtower of Aguilo
Following this path, the visitor will arrive at the watchtower of Aguiló, one of oldest, most important and best kept watchtowers of the defence system against the Berber pirates, created in the time of Felipe II (XVI century) within the Kingdom of Valencia . The monument has recently been restored…
Limekiln (XVI century)
Because of its difficult access, this tower was built from limestone which is widely available in the area. This was used both for the stones that formed the walls and for the mortar -made of water, sand and quicklime- that cemented the stones together. The lime was obtained by burning limestone for several days in the limekiln at temperatures above 900 C. In order to do this, an oval pit was dug into the rock, partially covered with stones and then plastered with mortar to retain the heat.
Hundreds of stones were placed over the pit forming a vault, with a conical tower reaching several metres in height. To retain the heat, the outside of the construction was plastered with clay, with the exception of the flue. Bushes and branches from trees were burnt continuously in the pit to keep the fire alive.
Picture: Limekiln after the archaeological excavation year 2009
Hundreds of stones were placed over the pit forming a vault, with a conical tower reaching several metres in height. To retain the heat, the outside of the construction was plastered with clay, with the exception of the flue. Bushes and branches from trees were burnt continuously in the pit to keep the fire alive.
Picture: Limekiln after the archaeological excavation year 2009
