At the time of maximum splendour in the valley, there were over five thousand evaporation pans in total, covering almost 95,233 square metres.

The salt production season varied annually depending on weather conditions. It usually started in May and ended in October, although the most productive period was between June and September, because from that month on, the longer nights delayed the evaporation process and the continuous rain spoiled the little salt obtained.

The salt production process involves several steps. It starts with the "filling" of the pans with two and four centimetres (two inches) of liquid. According to a report prepared by A. Herran in 1883, the brine used to take approximately sixty hours to settle, on average, when the temperature was twenty-four degrees in the shade; if the temperature rose between three and four degrees the process would be speeded up by about ten hours, but if the temperature dropped to sixteen or eighteen degrees, it would take three to four full days to obtain any results.

When the sun and wind start to make the water evaporate, crystals are formed on the surface - known as "salt flower" - that grow in size as they combine. As soon as their weight exceeds the surface tension of the water, they fall to the bottom and the final product is known as "mota" salt.

During this cycle the brine must be "stirred" when it starts to settle. This leads to a uniform crystallisation that prevents the product from adhering to the surface of the salt pans. To prevent the salt from drying too much, the salt workers irrigate the platforms continuously with brine that had been previously preheated in wells known as "heaters".

Once the salt crystallises, but before the water completely evaporates, it is collected. This is done using a roller which pulls the salt from the perimeter of the salt pan to the centre, creating a small pile of salt. Once there, it is placed in baskets with slots so that the salt may drain before storing. This process, performed by each salt worker at his lot was called "entrar la sal" (collecting the salt) and consisted in placing it in the Terraces through small small openins or sluices on the surfaces of the salt pans.