SNOWDROPS

A snowfield or snowdrop is a small accumulation of snow, which, protected by the shade and the particular shape of the lands, is capable of preserving the snow until spring or summer. There were also artificial snowdrops, dry stone constructions with a shape that allowed snow to be accumulated and preserved.

In different locations of Alcublas area we find examples of these ice caves that were used to sell snow or ice in summer in larger towns or in Valencia and that were used to refrigerate food or drinks. The Sabuquera Cave, a doline a few meters from the trenches, is an example of a natural snowfield in which a geographical feature is used for this purpose, while at another point in the Lucía Ravine we find artificial snowfields and, a few meters away, the ‘carrilás’ , some marks on the stone of the mountain as a rail through which the wheels of the carts carrying the snow passed.