Molino de Flores (Mill of Flores) is the old structure of a hacienda located in the municipal locality of Texcoco, one hour away from the centre of Mexico City.

The famous gardens that King Nezahualcóyotl had built during the prehispanic era near the indigenous population of Texcoco were located around this Hacienda during the 14^th Century. The Hacienda has its origins a little after this, with the arrival of the Spaniards to the area in the 16^th Century, when the peninsular Juan Vázquez obtained Royal favour to establish a property destined for textile production. A while later, the place started producing flour, leaving important dividends to the property that quickly became one of the most prosperous of the region, it adopted its actual name from one of its owners, Alfonso Flores de Valdez.

Most of the buildings in Molino de Flores were constructed by Don Miguel de Cervantes y Velasco, marquis of Salvatierra, who built the Main House, the access porch, the Temple of San Joaquín and the chapel of the Lord of the Dam. According to tradition, this last building was constructed to commemorate a miraculous apparition that took place in the rocky slopes that border the Cuxcahuaco River, which runs through the property. A particular fact of this chapel is that it’s partly maintained by the river’s slopes, having been practically excavated from the rock in a similar way as the Pyramid of Malinalco. Don Miguel de Cervantes y Velasco also planned out the gardens of the property which were elegantly decorated with flowers, fountains and several waterfalls.

This Hacienda continued prospering until the porfirian era when, in addition to the activities mentioned before, also started to produce a large amount of the pulque that supplied Mexico City. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the Mexican Revolution the property was abandoned and suffered a strong deterioration that left a large part of its buildings in ruins, until the place was declared National Park by the president Lázaro Cárdenas in 1937.

Today, the deteriorated state of this place is actually one of its attractions, as the Molino de Flores ruins have been used as film settings for more than fifty Mexican and foreign films.  It is also an important site for recreation for the inhabitants of the neighboring communities that visit mainly on Sundays and also constitutes a fine midday getaway for the people who live in or visit Mexico City.