The sugar factory

The chimneys you can see from most of Torre del Mar belong to La Azucarera, the old Nuestra Señora del Carmen sugar factory, whose origins go back to the late eighteenth century. Three brick chimneys and several buildings survive from its industrial period, and it is considered the main reference of sugar heritage in the province of Málaga.

Why a sugar factory here

This coast grew sugar cane, and the mills that processed it are what turned a fishing settlement into a working town. The factory is not a decorative ruin, it is the reason the streets run where they run and the reason the town has the size it has.

What you can see

The chimneys are the landmark and they are visible from the avenue and from much of the centre. The site is industrial heritage rather than a museum with opening hours, so treat it as something you walk past and look at rather than something you tour.

Where it fits in a visit

It is a short walk inland from the seafront, which makes it the natural afternoon half of a day that started on the beach. Seeing it changes how the rest of the town reads: once you know the factory was here, the layout stops looking accidental.