According to the documentation, the first project to build a slaughterhouse in the city of Betanzos was approved by the Council of Castile in 1798, but it was not until 1901 that the then municipal architect of Lugo, Juan Álvarez de Mendoza, designed the building, which was built between 1903 and 1910.
It is located in a nearby area of the city but at the same time at a sufficient distance to avoid the inconvenience of the activity that takes place. Likewise, the proximity to the rivers and the Betanzos estuary is used to transport the animals and to evacuate the waste water.
Did you know that Juan Álvarez de Mendoza is also the author of the Monument to the Martyrs of Carral, located in the centre of this town near Betanzos? The Carral Martyrs were twelve rebellious soldiers who were shot in this town on 26th April 1846, eleven of them in the parish of Paleo, and one in Betanzos on 4th May 1846, for personifying the rebellion against the absolutist regime of General Narvaez during the reign of Isabel II.
The building is built in a neo-Mudejar style with ornamental details of modernism such as the ceramic finish where it reads "Matadero", using a German typeface from 1904 known as "Arnold Böcklin". We can also see the influence of another well-known slaughterhouse in this building, in this case the one in the town of Madrid, designed by Luis Belllido who shared work in Lugo and Gijón with Mendoza, and perhaps also maintained a Friendship relationship.