CHOZO DE LA CASILLA DEL FRAILE

Located 4.3 kilometres southwest of the urban centre of Alcalá del Júcar, there is a rural construction that is highly significant and representative of the traditional way of life in the La Manchuela region: the Cuco.
It is an ethnographic element chronologically considered as modern/contemporary, although this form of construction may date back several centuries.
It is easy to locate, as it is very close to the CM-3254 road.
It is situated on a flat dryland farming plot, although it takes advantage of a small step in the terrain to adapt to it and achieve two levels, each with an exit at ground level.
It has a circular plan and a double-height conical elevation. Its dimensions are 3 metres in diameter at the base and 3.5 m in height, with a wall thickness of 1 m.
It was built with masonry bonded with plaster, forming the false dome by the approximation of courses. It has two access openings, one facing south with a wooden lintel and another facing west with a beautiful semicircular arch. The roof is reinforced with an external cement render.
Its purpose was, evidently, to serve as a shelter for the farmer or shepherd. It probably also allowed tools and implements to be stored, so they did not have to be carried back to the village.