The 1744 farm where 40,000 sheep were shorn

The Casa de Esquileo de Santillana is a complex of buildings of a livestock nature located in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama, in the local entity of Revenga, belonging to the municipality of Segovia. Commissioned in 1744 by Ignacio de Arizcun, the owner of the Marquisate of Iturbieta, the farm was built at the crossroads between the Cordel de Santillana and the Cañada de la Vera de la Sierra. It sat at a vital point for moving livestock between the mesetas.

The site functioned as a center for the sheep of the Marquis, who owned more than 40,000 head of transhumant sheep. The layout included a large central courtyard flanked by a large room known as the rancho, where the livestock were shorn, as well as a bakery, a refectory, and a large dormitory. After being shorn, the sheep were led to the peguera, where they were marked with an iron dipped in boiling pitch to identify the owner of each animal for later accounting.

The building's architecture served as a model for many other ranchos in the Segovia region. Although it fell into decline as the Mesta's power waned in the 19th century, it survived through secondary uses before falling into its current state of neglect.

Today, the site is in a critical state of conservation. It is currently facing vandalism, the stripping of construction materials, and the dumping of waste. Despite the decay, its layout remains a clear record of how the wool industry once operated in the region.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons