Last night we walked-about to see and follow one of the acequia’s that was opened yesterday on our property. Typically, I am not here in April, so this was an event Ed wanted to share.
A bit of history: An acequia (Spanish: [aˈθekja]) or séquia (Valencian: [ˈsɛkia]) is a community-operated watercourse used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Particularly in Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and the modern-day American Southwest, acequias are usually historically engineered canals that carry snow runoff or river water to distant fields. It can also refer to the long central pool in a Moorish garden, such as the Generalife in the Alhambra in Southern Iberia.
In 1990, Ed purchased our property from a long-standing Spanish family. Documents that came with the purchase mention the use of acequias on our land for over a 150 years. This is important because it establishes water rights. However, unlike other states where ranchers claim water as their own, acequias in this part of the country have a history of communal use. In many areas of New Mexico, there are acequia organizations where the community comes together on given days each year to clean and open/close acequias. We are not part of an acequia organization, but we do share.
The acequia opened yesterday (there are several on our property) waters a large pasture which produces hay in the fall. We have a neighbor who owns cattle. He and a couple other guys herd the cattle with fanfare on May 1st to graze in the meadow. Eventually the cattle are herded into the Kit Carson Forest abutting our property for summer grazing. In the Fall, this cattle owner harvests the hay to feed his cattle in winter.
One of the benefits of the mountain water feeding our acequia is the wild flower seeds it carries. After the May and June dry period, monsoons will nourish them, the pasture will sprout an abundance of color, and a variety of thistles will abound, providing Ed with a pet summer project. Harvesting thistles.
Recommendation for viewing pleasure: The movie, The Milagro Beanfield War adapted from John Nicols’ book of the same name. The story is about snagging water rights in a small village in New Mexico.
