The Twelve Windmills

Twelve restored 16th-century molinos de viento stand in a perfect line along the Cerro Calderico ridge above the town — white-washed cylindrical towers with conical wooden roofs and four canvas-covered sails. Eleven still have working machinery and several are open to visitors as small museums (one houses the Casa de los Molineros with displays on the milling craft, another the tourist office).

Drive or walk up to the ridge for the view; the climb on foot from the town centre takes about 20 minutes. The light is best in late afternoon, when the mills throw long shadows across the plain. Each mill has a name — Bolero, Cardeño, Caballero del Verde Gabán — drawn from local tradition and Cervantes.

things to do sight
A story
Cervantes scholars argue endlessly about which town's windmills Don Quixote actually charged — Campo de Criptana and Mota del Cuervo also claim the honour. The mills themselves all date from the 16th and 17th centuries, after the novel was published in 1605, so strictly speaking none of them could have been the originals. The Consuegra ridge, however, is the most photographed because of the way the castle anchors one end.