472:
491:
408:). For example, the Doctrine of Prior Appropriation is based on the principle of "first in use, first in right", while acequia norms incorporate not just priority but principles of equity and fairness. This is evident in the fact that Prior Appropriation considers water to be a commodity owned by private individuals while acequia systems treat water as a community resource that irrigators have a shared right to use, manage, and protect. The concept of a shared responsibility natural resources reflects the beliefs stemming from the Spanish and Indigenous people who brought the acequia to the U.S. The plethora of cultural behaviors and values that created acequia communities still exist in the United States.
141:
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210:, or even before. These ways of agricultural planning and colonization strategies come from the vast amount of cultural influences contributing to Spanish technology and governance. Likely the most meaningful stemmed from the Muslims that ruled parts of Spain for as long as eight centuries. Their ways of life influenced the Spanish and changed the way agriculture was done in Spain.
351:, provide terrestrial wildlife habitat and movement corridors. They also protect water quality and fish habitat, promote the conservation of domesticated biodiversity of land race heirloom crops, and encourage the maintenance of a strong land and water ethic and sense of place, among other ecological and economic base values. This pioneering research on acequia
490:
411:
While prior doctrines allow for water to be sold away from the basin of origin, the acequia system prohibits the transference of water from the watershed in which it is situated and thus considers water as an "asset-in-place". The Prior regime is based on a governance regime in which the members of a
399:
Acequias in New Mexico and
Colorado have successfully developed and implemented changes in state water laws to accommodate the unique norms, customs, and practices of the acequia systems. But the communal owners of the acequias in New Mexico are receiving hard economic pushes from land developers and
979:
Raheem, N.; Archambault, S.; Arellano, E.; Gonzales, M.; Kopp, D.; Rivera, J.; Guldan, S.; Boykin, K.; Oldham, C.; Valdez, A.; Colt, S.; Lamadrid, E.; Wang, J.; Price, J.; Goldstein, J.; Arnold, P.; Martin, S.; Dingwell, E. (2015). "A framework for assessing ecosystem services in acequia irrigation
338:
initiated a pioneering collaborative, farmer-led, and interdisciplinary study of
Colorado and New Mexico acequias in 1995–99. Among the most significant findings of this study was that the acequia farms provide vital ecosystem and economic base services to the regions in which they are located. One
471:
237:
long before the arrival of the
Spanish. The introduction of acequias by the Muslims allowed for more agricultural diversity, with crops such as sugar cane and citrus fruits introduced. The system of the acequia has changed over time to avoid incidents of the resource from being overused or
387:
Known among water users simply as "the
Acequia", various legal entities embody the community associations, or acequia associations, that govern members' water usage, depending on local precedents and traditions. An acequia organization often must include commissioners and a
412:
mutual ditch company will vote based on their proportional ownership of shares so that larger farmers have more votes. In contrast, the acequia system follows a "one farmer, one vote" system that has led researchers to consider this a form of "water democracy".
123:
Scholars describe acequias as "technological systems that are designed, maintained, and operated to meet a variety of productive goals, social services, and health needs, with the practice of irrigated agriculture being of paramount importance." In the
396:, by state statute, acequias as registered bodies must have three commissioners and a mayordomo. Irrigation and conservation districts typically have their own version of mayordomos, usually referred to as "ditch riders" by members of the districts.
1127:. El Paso, Texas: Western Press, 1972. Spanish version, in Los cuadernos de Cauce 2000, No.15 (Madrid, 1988); also in Instituto de la Ingeniería de España, Obras hidráulicas prehispánicas y coloniales en América, I (Madrid, 1992), pp. 225–264.
131:
Acequias are filled by snow melt and rain to water orchards, gardens, and other agricultural fields. Other than watering crops, acequias have deep cultural significance for many
Indigenous and Native communities in New Mexico and Colorado.
788:"Spring time: why an ancient water system is being brought back to life in Spain; A project to restore a 1,000-year-old network of water channels is helping farmers in the Sierra Nevada adapt to the effects of the climate crisis"
128:, the oldest acequias were established more than 400 years ago by Spanish colonizers. The traditional form of governance over acequias is the oldest form of European resource management still alive in the United States today.
262:, the oldest acequias were established more than 400 years ago by Spanish colonizers. Many acequias continue to provide a primary source of water for farming and ranching in the region of south central
666:
664:
415:
Acequia law also requires that all persons with irrigation rights participate in the annual maintenance of the community ditch including the annual spring time ditch cleanup known as the
278:
continue to function. This type of governance over acequias is to date the oldest depiction of
European resource management still active in the United States today.
926:
Hicks, Gregory A.; Peña, Devon G. (2003). "Community
Acequias in Colorado's Rio Culebra Watershed: A Customary Commons in the Domain of Prior Appropriation".
404:, and the statutes promulgating acequia water law represent a rare instance of water pluralism in the context of Western water law in the United States (see
845:
Fernald, A. G.; Cevik, S. Y.; et al. (2010). "River hydrograph retransmission functions of irrigated valley surface water–groundwater interactions".
430:
400:
current inflation that are pushing them to consider selling the valued acequia. The customary law of the acequia is older than and at variance with the
808:
Fernald, A. G.; Baker, T. T.; et al. (2007). "Hydrological, Riparian, and
Agroecosystem Functions of Traditional Acequia Irrigation Systems".
708:
510:
452:
787:
392:
who administers usage of water from a ditch, regulating which holders of water rights can release water to their fields on which days. In
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and through the connecting channels throughout parts of New Mexico. Acequias have several components that control the transport of water:
516:
233:
where acequias today run along both sides of the city streets. However, these acequias were originally dug by the
Indigenous
1147:
497:
1182:
1026:
969:
174:) which has more than one meaning: "the water conduit" or "one that bears water" as well as 'bartender' (from
1187:
1054:
960:
Peña, Devon G.; Boyce, James K.; Shelley, Barry G. (2003). "The
Watershed Commonwealth of the Upper Rio Grande".
401:
93:
294:. Some acequias are conveyed through pipes or aqueducts, of modern fabrication or decades or centuries old (see
355:, led by environmental anthropologist Devon G. Peña, has more recently been confirmed in other studies, e.g.
298:). For the system to function properly the channel must have a good gradient to maintain the flow of water.
206:; however the most likely hypothesis is that they improved on irrigation systems that already existed since
1077:"Acequias of the Southwestern United States: Elements of Resilience in a Coupled Natural and Human System"
221:) and were utilized throughout their own colonies. Similar structures already existed in places such as
1177:
501:
324:(vessels)- lateral ditches cut perpendicular from the main canal to irrigate individual parcels of land
1085:
764:
868:"Linked hydrologic and social systems that support resilience of traditional irrigation communities"
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302:
246:
20:
940:
901:
Garcia, Paula (February 2022). "Acequias Brace for a Future of Water Scarcity". Green Fire Times.
140:
39:
27:
1075:
Rosenberg, Adrienne; Guldan, Steven; Fernald, Alexander G.; Rivera, José, eds. (November 2020).
1079:. College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University.
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1086:"Agent-based modeling for community resource management: Acequia-based agriculture"
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312:(headgates)- these gates open and close to allow water to flow through the channel
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318:(canoes)- log flumes that transport water across intersecting creeks and streams
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709:"Nine practices from Native American culture that could help the environment"
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1038:"Southwestern Acequia Systems and Communities; Nurturing a Culture of Place"
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Traditionally, the Spanish acequias have been associated with the Muslim
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The Old World Background of the Irrigation System of San Antonio, Texas
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The trail beyond the compuerta is the original route of the acequia.
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574: – Historical irrigation system used in the American Southwest
330:(draining channel)- carries surplus water back to the stream source
263:
117:
1137:
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Office of the State Engineer Interstate Stream Commission (n.d.).
978:
368:
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Researchers affiliated with the Rio Grande Bioregions Project at
187:
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Office of the State Engineer Interstate Stream Commission (n.d.)
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A section of a compuerta (holding area) and historic acequia in
301:
When rainfall and snowmelt start to flow it is carried into the
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547: – Artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground
1142:
1055:"Drought Hits the Southwest, and New Mexico's Canals Run Dry"
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1019:
Acequia Culture: Water, Land, and Community in the Southwest
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541: – Irrigated area, or a field within an irrigated area
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Acequias were later adopted by the Spanish and Portuguese (
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566: – Water management system using underground channels
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Main acequia, Vallongas, Elche, Valencia, Spain (May 2012)
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533: – Small to moderate trench created to channel water
364:
844:
360:
752:
962:
Natural Assets: Democratizing Environmental Ownership
38:
Potrero Ditch, an acequia, passing near the front of
964:. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. pp. 169–85.
1084:Wise, Sarah; Crooks, Andrew T. (1 November 2012).
807:
676:
356:
253:
688:
1164:
980:communities of the Upper Río Grande watershed".
959:
747:
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340:
186:, "to give water, drink"), and also refers to a
1021:. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
847:Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
1092:. Special Issue: Advances in Geocomputation.
866:Fernald, A.; Guldan, S.; et al. (2015).
163:
153:
60:
343:, found that acequia agroecosystems promote
181:
169:
100:. Acequias are found in parts of Spain, the
374:
1083:
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559:Mueang § Müang Fai irrigation system
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168:) originate from Arabic word al-sāqiyah (
1090:Computers, Environment and Urban Systems
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1153:Sangre de Cristo Acequia Association
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1102:10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2012.08.004
872:Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
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498:Tumacacori National Historical Park
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1143:The New Mexico Acequia Association
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859:10.1061/(ASCE)IR.1943-4774.0000265
810:Journal of Sustainable Agriculture
357:Fernald, Baker & Guldan (2007)
14:
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1148:The New Mexico Acequia Commission
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928:University of Colorado Law Review
786:Burgen, Stephen (11 April 2022).
707:Gilbert, Samuel (22 April 2024).
249:, Santa Fe, New Mexico, June 2022
748:Peña, Boyce & Shelley (2003)
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341:Peña, Boyce & Shelley (2003)
94:Spanish colonies in the Americas
1158:Taos Valley Acequia Association
1053:Romero, Simon (13 July 2021b).
402:Doctrine of Prior Appropriation
254:Usage in the American Southwest
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16:Community-operated watercourse
1:
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477:Near the intersection of the
383:La Canova Acequia, New Mexico
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247:Acequia Madre (Mother Ditch)
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7:
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502:Santa Cruz County, Arizona
481:Drain and Putnam Drain in
436:Concrete-lined portion of
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417:limpieza y saca de acequia
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84:) is a community-operated
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18:
1183:Spanish words and phrases
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274:and some 700 in northern
61:
1042:Natural Resource Journal
1017:Rivera, Jose A. (1998).
906:Gómez, A. López (n.d.).
893:10.5194/hess-19-293-2015
657:Wise & Crooks (2012)
555: – Irrigation canal
483:South Valley, New Mexico
375:Governance in New Mexico
290:, similar in concept to
21:Acequia (disambiguation)
1188:Property law by country
596:Rosenberg et al. (2020)
517:Acequia Madre de Valero
406:Hicks & Peña (2003)
40:El Santuario de Chimayo
28:Aqueduct (water supply)
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339:study, as reported in
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1138:The Acequia Institute
1036:Romero, Eric (2021).
947:. State of New Mexico
941:"Acequia Information"
908:"Los canales romanos"
830:10.1300/J064v30n02_13
382:
365:Fernald et al. (2015)
361:Fernald et al. (2010)
244:
143:
108:, and the modern-day
37:
369:Raheem et al. (2015)
19:For other uses, see
994:2015WIRWa...2..559R
884:2015HESS...19..293F
822:2007JSusA..30b.147F
458:Unlined portion of
445:Velarde, New Mexico
266:known as the Upper
188:type of water wheel
81:[ˈsikiə,-a]
72:[ˈsekiə,-a]
1060:The New York Times
460:Los Chicos acequia
385:
353:ecosystem services
251:
238:under-maintained.
146:
110:American Southwest
43:
1178:Irrigation canals
1123:Glick, Thomas F.
1002:10.1002/wat2.1091
761:, pp. 59–60.
519:historical marker
345:soil conservation
204:Iberian Peninsula
55:[aˈθekja]
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793:The Guardian
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982:WIREs Water
799:15 February
780:Works cited
735:, p. .
673:, p. .
208:Roman times
160:the Catalan
104:, northern
92:and former
86:watercourse
1173:Irrigation
1167:Categories
934:: 387–486.
579:References
464:New Mexico
394:New Mexico
310:compuertas
276:New Mexico
272:Rio Arriba
268:Rio Grande
114:New Mexico
112:(northern
98:irrigation
1110:0198-9715
1010:129710529
917:10 August
584:Citations
438:La Canova
390:majordomo
231:Argentina
136:Etymology
838:84955013
718:24 April
525:See also
322:sangrías
264:Colorado
227:San Juan
180:
118:Colorado
88:used in
68:Catalan:
51:Spanish:
1066:14 July
990:Bibcode
951:23 June
880:Bibcode
818:Bibcode
443:, near
441:acequia
423:Gallery
328:desagüe
258:In the
235:Huarpes
223:Mendoza
215:levadas
202:of the
194:History
171:الساقیة
155:acequia
150:Spanish
47:acequia
1108:
1025:
1008:
968:
836:
552:Levada
538:Huerta
316:canoas
292:flumes
282:Design
165:séquia
106:Mexico
77:síquia
62:séquia
1006:S2CID
911:(PDF)
834:S2CID
571:Zanja
564:Qanat
531:Ditch
177:سَقَى
162:word
158:(and
152:word
102:Andes
90:Spain
58:) or
1106:ISSN
1068:2021
1023:ISBN
966:ISBN
953:2022
919:2023
801:2023
720:2024
545:Leat
347:and
245:The
225:and
183:saqā
148:The
96:for
1098:doi
998:doi
888:doi
855:doi
851:136
826:doi
217:on
120:).
45:An
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1088:.
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