Acequia Culture

Acequia Culture: Water, Land, and Community in the Southwest by José A. Rivera. University of New Mexico Press, 1998. Traces the history of the New Mexico acequia from its old world roots, particularly in Valencia, Spain to present-day acequia disputes. Describes the acequia culture of the Southwest as growing “out of a conservation ethic and a tradition of sharing that should be recognized and preserved in an age of increasing competition for scarce resources.” Approximately half the book is made up of important acequia documents from minutes, by-laws, including water-sharing rules and recent court decisions adopting water-sharing customs in the Taos Valley. Index, notes, glossary, maps, and extensive appendices. 269 pp.