Sabandía Mill

The Molino de Sabandía was built in 1621 in sillar to grind grain for the district, and it worked for centuries before falling into ruin. It was restored in the 1970s by the Arequipeño architect Luis Felipe Calle, who rebuilt the wheel and the mechanism so that it turns and grinds again, and the mill now operates as a small visitor site with the water race, the wheel and the grinding floor all functioning. The setting is the reason to come as much as the building: the Sabandía countryside is green and irrigated, terraced with the Socabaya valley around it, with Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu standing over the fields, and there are gardens, pools and grazing alpacas on the site. It is a short trip from Arequipa and is usually combined with the Mansión del Fundador and Yumina terraces nearby.

What you actually see

• The working mill - a 1621 sillar building with the wheel and mechanism restored.
• The water race - the channel and drop that drives the wheel.
• The countryside - irrigated green terraces below the volcanoes.
• The 1970s restoration - the rebuild that returned the mill to working order.

When to go

Year-round. One to two hours. Combines with the Mansión del Fundador and the Yumina terraces on the same trip out of the city.

Honest expectations

Small - the mill is one building and the visit is short. The wheel is not always running; ask when it will turn. Weekends bring local families and it gets busy. Needs a taxi or combi from the city.

Nearby

The Mansión del Fundador is close; Arequipa is north-west.