It is widely acknowledged that conventional
approaches to economic development in the rural West, based on
mineral extraction, industrial relocation, and capital-intensive
tourism, have met with dismal results. Jobs may be created, but the
benefits are inequitably distributed; growth may or may not occur,
but poverty and underdevelopment persist, and in the process, the
community loses control of the resources it needs for long-term
sustainable economic activity. Acequia-based agriculture, however,
promotes cultural tourism while supporting social policy values of
self-reliance, anti-poverty, and grassroots democracy at
work.
” José A. Rivera,
Acequia Culture
The acequia
system of ditch irrigation marks time in many of the small
communities of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. The
communal system and its seasonal rituals are a part of life for
locals; to outsiders, however, the tangle of ancient decrees,
modern laws and family relationships can make acequia politics
almost indecipherable. There’s hope, though. In a new book, Acequia
Culture: Water, Land and Community in the Southwest, José
Rivera lays out the history of the system, from its beginnings in
Spanish water law to its role in the northern New Mexico “condo
wars’ of the 1990s. The book, which includes copies of original
documents, is a valuable reference for those who want to learn more
about the origins of the system and its place in Southwestern
society. Rivera’s academic style is not an easy read, but among the
footnotes hides a strong case for the preservation of this ancient,
but still vital, way of life.
*Michelle
Nijhuis
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Deciphering the ditches.
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