Mazarrón Municipal Archaeological Museum The Roman Salt Fish Factory

Mazarron, Museo Arqueológico Municipal La Factoría 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 four important products: minerals from its mines, esparto grass used for a wide range of jobs including the manufacture of fishing nets, the ability to make salt via salt flats and fish. The combination of the ability to catch fish, make salt and the warm climate in what is now the Murcia region meant that the area was perfect for the production of salt fish products and fish sauces, and the Roman Fish salting factory is an interesting and well preserved example of a Roman production centre for fish sauce products.

Although factories of this nature had existed beforehand, they proliferated in the first century BC, increasing in both size and number along the African coast and southern Spain, as fish sauce was an essential component of Roman cookery, being used to flavour a wide range of dishes.

The most important sauce of all was known top grade garum, which fetched high prices in Rome, although all grades of fish and the offcuts from the premium quality production were used to make a range of other sauces and secondary 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, then mixing other small species to the mash before the whole was fermented, sieved and bottled.

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

Please check with tourist office first as entry times do change, Tel 968 594 426

Winter Hours

Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 1pm and 5pm to 8pm

Sunday 10am to 1pm

Summer Hours ( from May onwards.)

Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 1pm and 6.30pm to 9.30pm

Entry : Free of charge

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.

Museo Arqueológico

Calle la Torre

Puerto de Mazarrón

tel 968 59 52 42

 Click for map, Calle Torre Puerto de Mazarrón

Access.

Good .There are ramps for disability access throughout the museum.

Parking: There is parking in the streets around the museum. Be aware that during the summer months this area is extremely busy as it is right next to the main paseo and marina, which is full of restaurants and an excellent place to stop off and enjoy a meal or snack.

Would we recommend it?

Yes. Its 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.

To read more about the History of Mazarrón, Click Mazarrón History. Some of the pedanías also have interesting and important additional historical information, Click Mazarrón pedanías.

The museum is literally a 2 minute walk from the restaurants and bars of the paseo marítimo, so is an interesting addition to an evening out in the port, or somewhere to visit before enjoying a lunchtime Menu del Día: see Where to eat section for  prices and local offerings. Click for bars and restaurants within easy walking distance of the museum:  Restaurants Puerto de Mazarrón