Mills were to thank for feeding many generations around a century ago. The gofio, toasted corn flour, used to be the basis of the diet for the Canarian population, and it used to be produced in these mills. In Gran Canaria there used to be two types of mills: wind and water mills.
Water mills, mainly present in the south of the island, gathered the waters falling from the island top down the ravines using irrigation canals driving it to the mill to make it function. Some remains of these mills can be seen at the Tirajana ravine, but the Cazorla wind mill, in Fataga, singles itself out and has been awarded as a Cultural Heritage site.
Wind mills, using nature to move the milling mechanism, functioned in Gran Canaria until approximately the late 60s. The introduction of engines in the mechanism finished off these giants which lived on the island's winds. The El Albercon neighbourhood, in La Aldea, depicts its past importance.