Acequia Madre

The Acequia Madre (Mother Ditch) is a historical irrigation ditch that flows through the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It has been operating for more than 500 years, and is part of the acequia system found throughout New Mexico.

Historically, ditch irrigation was used for centuries by the indigenous peoples of the Southwest, however the Spanish colonialists have been credited with bringing knowledge of engineering and irrigation/water regulation law to New Mexico. The Acequia Madre was documented in the José de Urrutia map (c. 1766) which shows the acequia running along the muralla, or early fortification wall of Santa Fe, and marks its position in relation to the Santa Fe River. The structure dates from before 1610, however the main construction occurred in 1680 around the time of the Pueblo Revolt. At that time Santa Fe was called La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís. The indigenous Puebloan peoples in the area used flood control practices and irrigation as far back as 800 AD as observed by the Spanish explorers who came through the area in the 1540s. The acequia continues to this day to be governed by early Spanish laws. The ditch has a board of three commissioners charged with ensuring it is kept in good-working order and a Spanish: mayordomo de la acequia. The acequia is still used by some residents to irrigate grazing land and fruit trees; property owners with water rights leases along the ditch pay an annual fee, and are responsible for keeping the acequia cleared of debris each spring; the ditch cleanup is known as the Spanish: limpieza y saca de acequia. The ditch-association members are traditionally known as Spanish: parciantes, indicating their stake or portion of the acequia association's labor resources. Sometimes in English the members are called 'irrigationists'. While the flow in the ditch is regulated, water has "never ceased to flow" each year. According to the Historic American Engineering Record, the Acequia Madre is "probably the oldest Spanish acequia system remaining in the Southwest and can easily be traced today."

Canal data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).