Acequias: a forgotten history

Mesoamerican traditions continue to influence the culture of New Mexico

The Acequia is a communal irrigation ditch, and its continued use is a testament to the cultural resiliency of the New Mexican people. But where does this tradition come from? Sadly, most New Mexicans have a distorted understanding of Acequia history, and credit its creation solely to Moors and Spaniards.

For example, a recent article in National Geographic frames the origins of New Mexican Acequias as follows:

This communal water system traces its roots to the Spanish conquistadors, who brought their traditions to the territory in the 1600s, and who themselves borrowed it from the Muslims who invaded Spain in the 8th century. Indeed, the word acequia (pronounced ‘ah-seh-key-uh,’ stress on the ‘seh’) is an adaptation of the Arabic as-saqiya, meaning water carrier.

But is this really true? Well, as Captain Kirk would say, “But that’s not the way it happened.” In fact, there is way more to the story.

You see, when the Spanish arrived in Mesoamerica in 1519, they encountered civilizations that were thousands of years old. These civilizations gave rise to exquisite works of art, philosophies, monolithic architecture, systems of government, schools, libraries, and of course, highly developed systems of agriculture.