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During the Early Modern Times, water was one of the most important natural resources, especially in arid or semi-arid regions such as La Mancha. In this territory, liquid element was barely used in agriculture, because watering farming was a residual activity. More important was its use in the processing industry, transforming the cereals grown in its fields into flour. This paper analyses the conditions of water exploitation in the Guadiana River basin during the pre-industrial period and focuses on the water mills that lined its riverbanks. It also examines other uses not linked to the milling and attempts to explain its geographical location and its technical evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]