Industry and inventiveness in Calasparra. The Alvarez family and their flour factory

Authors

Keywords:

Flour industry, Flour factory, Industrial Heritage, Patents, Machinery construction

Abstract

We study the flour industry of the Álvarez family in Calasparra. The figure of the company's initiator, Juan Álvarez Pastor, his efforts to modernize his industry and the different stages of technological change and passing of the business to his widow and children. In addition to the notable figure of inventor and machinery builder of one of his sons, the miller leader Francisco Álvarez Espín, with five patents registered between the sixties and eighties of the 20th century. The invention, development, manufacturing and marketing in Spain and abroad of the densigraph, which represented a revolution in the quality control of flour.

Author Biographies

Manuela Caballero-Gonzalez, Universidad de Murcia

Master's Degree in Cultural Management and Cultural Industries. Master's Degree in Cultural Heritage and Laboratory Specialist Technician. She is a researcher in the History of Science, Medical Documentation, and Health Promotion group at the University of Murcia. She belongs to the Spanish Society for the History of Science and Technology. She is a member of the Fray Pasqual Salmerón Center for Historical Studies in Cieza and has been editor of the journal Andelma, the center's publication body, for 22 years. She works with Pascual Santos on the cultural projects "Ingenuity and Technology in Spain 1878-1966" and "Ingenuity and Technology in the Region of Murcia 1878-1966," which aim to research, recover, and disseminate Spanish industrial and technological heritage, with historical patents as their guiding principle. Her research interests focus on the Cultural History of Science and Technology, Industrial Archaeology, and Women's History. He maintains the blogs: https://ingenioytecnica.org https://ingenioytecnica.wordpress.com/ https://gacetainventores.wordpress.com/ and http://fraypasqual.blogspot.com/ His latest book is titled: Inventors and inventors in the Region of Murcia 1878-1966.

Pascual Santos-Lopez, Universidad de Murcia

PhD in Comparative Social History from the University of Murcia. Master's degree in "The modernization of Spain between Europe and Latin America". Industrial Technical Engineer. Research in Cultural History of Technology, Industrial History, Industrial Heritage and Enlightenment Thought. Member of the Research Group on the History of Science, Medical Documentation and Health Promotion at the University of Murcia. He is a member of the Spanish Society for the History of Science and Technology and the Fray Pasqual Salmerón Center for Historical Studies. Cultural projects: "Ingenuity and Technology in the Region of Murcia 1878-1966", "Ingenuity and Technology in Spain 1878-1966" and "Technology, Thought and Innovation in Modern and Contemporary Spain". Blogs: gacetainventores.wordpress.com historialocalmurcia.wordpress.com Web: ingenioytecnica.org

References

González de Langarica, Aitor (2009). El tercer modelo de industrialización vasca: Vitoria, 1936-1976. En: Antonio Rivera (dir.) Dictadura y desarrollismo. El franquismo en Álava, pp. 21-84. Ayuntamiento de Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Revilla Casado, Javier (2021). Cuestión de maquilas: diferencia entre molino y fábrica de harinas. En: Pensar la tradición: homenaje al profesor José Luis Alonso Ponga, pp. 187-206. Ediciones Universidad de Valladolid.

Portada de Andelma 33. Obra de Buitrago Puche

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Published

2025-05-06

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 33 (2024): Andelma

Section

Artículos

License

Los autores mantienen sus derechos de autor, pero se atienen a los términos contemplados en la licencia CC BY-ND - Allow the authors to hold the copyright but agree to the terms specified in the license CC BY-ND.