Trapiche del Prado

Trapiche del Prado is a former sugarcane mill roughly two kilometres north of Marbella's old town, in the area known as El Chorreadero, on Calle Brabante. The building is nearly four centuries old and has recently gone from neglected ruin to one of the city's showcase pieces of industrial heritage.

Where is Trapiche del Prado located?

The site sits away from Marbella's main tourist strip, in a quiet stretch of land that once relied on a water channel to power the milling equipment. A trapiche — the Spanish term for a cane-pressing mill — needed either running water or animal traction to turn the presses that squeezed juice out of the harvested cane, which explains why the building was placed here rather than closer to the seafront.

How did the site begin?

The earliest records of Trapiche del Prado date back to 1644, when its first documented owners were Mateo Marco and Gaspar Pompes. At the time, Marbella and the surrounding countryside were dotted with cane fields feeding a small but active sugar industry. In 1720 ownership passed to the Inquisition of Granada, which did not run the mill itself but leased it out to operators — a period that gave the building one of its alternative names, Trapiche de la Inquisición.

What changed in the 19th century?

The complex eventually fell into disrepair, until Enrique Grivegnée bought the ruined property and rebuilt it in 1800. He installed more advanced equipment for the period, including iron gearing and reverberatory ovens that improved the refining stage of sugar production. By the mid-19th century the business changed direction again: under Fernando Álvarez Acosta, the mill switched from sugar to wine and brandy production, an activity that continued into the 20th century before the building was eventually abandoned.

What can visitors see today?

Years of decline had placed Trapiche del Prado on Hispania Nostra's Red List of endangered heritage sites. The city council carried out a full restoration that was completed in August 2025, and the building now works as a heritage interpretation centre. The restored spaces preserve part of the original façade along with the rooms once used for the different stages of cane processing — grinding, pressing, boiling the juice and refining the sugar. The new centre houses a small museum on the history of the old sugar factory, multipurpose rooms, a reading area, and a digitised historical archive that also serves as an educational resource for local schools.

Who is this site for?

Trapiche del Prado appeals to visitors curious about Andalusia's industrial past and the less obvious side of the Costa del Sol, away from Marbella's beach-resort image. It also offers useful context on how sugarcane farming shaped the local economy for several centuries before tourism took over.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "trapiche" mean? It refers to an old mill or press used to extract juice from sugarcane, traditionally powered by animals or water.

Can Trapiche del Prado be visited today? Following the restoration completed in 2025, the building operates as a heritage interpretation centre with a museum and reading room; it's worth checking current opening times with Marbella's town hall or tourist office.

Why is it also called Trapiche de la Inquisición? Because from 1720 the property belonged to the Inquisition of Granada, which leased it to operators rather than running it directly.

What makes this site different from other Marbella landmarks? It's one of the few preserved buildings tied to sugar, and later wine and brandy, production, rather than a residence or defensive structure.