The Pósito municipal grain store in Alhama de Murcia

Pósito Municipal, Alhama de Murcia

El Pósito Municipal or municipal grain store of Alhama de Murcia is a large 18^th-century building which was restored in 2006 and was used to house cereal crops and regulate the trading of grain, traditionally a vital commodity in this agricultural area.

In times of scarcity it was a source of food, but the building was also a centre which functioned as a source of loans and a local tax office, as the taxes paid were generally calculated as a proportion of crops harvested. For centuries in Alhama these taxes were paid to the Marquises de los Vélez (the Fajardo family, overlords of the area until the 19th century: click here for a history of Alhama).

The storing of grain was vital to the economy of an agricultural town such as Alhama as it could be distributed should adverse weather conditions destroy the new crop, and discontent caused by hunger could be quelled when sufficient reserves existed to ride out natural disaster.

The building itself is a simple but imposing rectangular one, two storeys high, and is made of nothing more exotic than brick and masonry. The ground floor has a peculiar structure, with arches creating different small areas for goods to be stored, while the upper floor is also divided into smaller spaces which are ideal for housing the exhibitions which are regularly hosted by the town: this has been the function of the building since it was refurbished in 2006.

Normal opening hours during exhibitions are from Tuesday to Saturday between 18.00 and 21.00 during the summer (late May to 15th September) and 17.00 to 20.00 for the rest of the year

The Posito municipal is on the corner of Calle de la Angosta and Calle Fulgencio Cerón Cava.

For more local information in English, including news and forthcoming events, visit the home page of Alhama Today.