Mazarron, Roman Fish salting Factory

Places to visit , Mazarron, La Factoria Romana de salazones

During the first Century BC Roman power was at its' height and absorbed vast quantities of goods from across the Mediterranean for consumption throughout its extended empire.

Commerce along the Mediterranean trading coastline provided a wealth of goods and services, each area contributing its; own locally produced specialities to the pool.

Mazarron had two important products- minerals from the mines and fish, more specifically fish sauces, and the Roman Fish salting factory is an interesting and well preserved example of a production centre for fish sauce products.

Although factories of this nature had existed beforehand, they really proliferated in the first century BC, along the African coast and Southern Spain, as fish sauce was an essential component of roman cookery, being use to flavour a wide range of dishes.

The most important sauce of all was known as garum, which was the top grade of sauce, and fetched high prices in the roman markets, then a range of other sauces and products were obtained from the processing of the fish, wasting nothing.

It was a laborious process, which involved mascerating the viscera of various fish, adding the crumbled flesh of other varieties of fish, and adding other small species to the mix.

The natural digestive enzymes of the fish used broke down the fish and abundant salt was added to prevent rotting of the mixture, which remained in fish salting tanks for between twenty days and three months, literally beaten to a paste, which fermented to make the sauce.

The sauce was then reduced by the application of heat and filtered to make the purest garum, the leftovers also making fish sauce products, albeit of a lesser quality.

 

Production of these sauces was done in large tanks, characteristic of these types of installations, which can be clearly seen in this museum.

 

This factory would have been a vast installation, much of which is still buried beneath neighbouring houses.

 

It was discovered in 1976 during construction works and was declared to be of historical conservation interest in 1995.

 

The museum comprises 4 sections:

First- the fish salting factory remains and the process of fish paste production. One interesting little exhibit in this section is a small jar which was uncovered during the excavations and which is believed to have contained offerings to the gods, probably interred as a token of good luck when the factory was first built.

Second- Exhibits and information about the Mazarron area from the Paleolithic to the late roman occupation, covering one of the most important eras for Mazarron, the Phoenician trading activities, during which Mazarrons greatest treasures, the 2 Phoenician boats, were left submerged in the bay of La Isla , having sunk completely laden with their cargos. One of these is still in situ, albeit protected with a steel casing, and the second was raised and is now in the ARQUA Museum of subaquatic archaeology in Cartagena, Click ARQUA.

You can visit the Phoenician boats interpretation centre in Mazarron for more info about these or go to the ARQUA. There are also many interesting remains in the archaeological museum in Cartagena, where the ingots recovered from the boats can be seen , together with many of the amphora and jars in which the fish paste would have been transported back to Rome and for sale across the empire.

Click Archaeological Museum, Cartagena.

 

Third- Late Roman epoch. Dedicated to the roman installations discovered around Mazarron, including the necropolis and house in Calle Era.

 

Fourth- From the mediaeval ages to present day.

  

Entry Prices and Opening Hours for the Roman Fish salt factory, Mazarron

 Winter Hours

Mornings 10-1pm and 5pm-8pm, Closed Mondays.

 Summer Hours

10-1 and 6.30pm-9.30pm, Closed Mondays 

Entry Prices, Standard 2.50, Reduced 1.50

( NB Reduced, Pensioners, disabled and under 15's.)

 

Telephone 968 595 242

 

Factoria Romana de Salazones

Calle Torre/ Corner of San Gines

Puerto de Mazarron. 

NB. This is at the far end of the Mazarron Marina and can be accessed on foot easily from this area.

 

Access.

Good ,. There are ramps for disability access

 

Would we recommend it?

Yes. It's an interesting factory site, and is the type of archaeological site not commonly seen. Some information boards are in English, and there is a good leaflet in English which gives good information. All the other sites in Mazarron are free to visit, so it can easily be part of a good morning out.

 

If you want to make a good morning out , there are plenty of good places to eat, Click Restaurant Guide Mazarron for some suggestions of the best.

Other historical sites in Mazarron which can be visited the same day as the Roman salt fish factory

Phoenician boat interpretation centre, Click Phoenician boat interpretation centre, Mazarron

Roman house in Calle Eras and The El Alamillo Villa, Cl;ick Casa romana de la Calle Era

El Torre Molinete, Click El Torre Molinete

 

 

 

 

 

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