Ethnography · Mazarete
La Cándida Resin Works (Mazarete)
La Cándida was one of the foremost resin distillation works in Guadalajara. Built in Mazarete around 1882-1883 by Asturian forestry engineer Calixto Rodríguez, who named it after his mother, it steam-distilled crude pine resin into rosin and turpentine using advanced contemporary methods, operating until its closure in 1976.
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These readings connect La Cándida Resin Works (Mazarete) with the history, work, and villages around it.
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- Municipality
- Mazarete
- Province
- Guadalajara
- Altitude
- 1,198 m
- Resin distillery
- 1882-1883
- Calixto Rodríguez
- Closed in 1976
A factory named after a mother
In Mazarete, amidst pine forests, the Asturian forestry engineer Calixto Rodríguez established an industrial resin distillation works, naming it “La Cándida” in honour of his mother. Having served across state forestry districts in resin-producing regions and studied advanced distillation techniques in the French Landes, he erected the plant in 1882 or 1883.
Industrial process
The plant received miera, the raw pine oleoresin collected by woodland resin tappers. It was steam-distilled to separate its two primary fractions: solid rosin (colofonia) and liquid turpentine (aguarrás), which were sold for varnishes, soaps, printing inks, and paper sizing.
Decline and closure
With the advent of cheaper imported resin and synthetic petroleum distillates, the traditional forestry trade declined. La Cándida shut down in 1976. The history of the factory and the regional resin workers is explored in the resin tappers.
Location
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Reference villages: Mazarete · Anquela del Ducado · Ciruelos del Pinar · Selas.
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