The UNM School of Architecture and Planning is hosting “Acequias: Their Culture and Future,” an exhibition of measured drawings and photographs on the acequias and traditional Hispanic mill in La Cienega, New Mexico, on the first floor of George Pearl Hall through June 30.
Photo: La Compuerta Major: main head gate for diversion of water from La Cienega Creek to the acequia, Martin Stupich, 2007.
The exhibition was prepared by Professor Arnold Valdez and students in his class “Acequias: Their Culture and Future,” with photographs by Martin Stupich.
The class was offered as part of the 2007 Southwest Summer Institute for Preservation and Regionalism, and was co-sponsored by the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning and the Santa Fe County Land Use Department. This joint venture allowed the university and county to work together organizing presentations and field studies.
Acequias, also known as community ditches, are threatened today by development, over-use, competing technologies to collect water, and the decline of traditional agricultural methods. The class explored the history of acequias, how they shaped the cultural landscape of New Mexico, their engineering, how they contribute to traditional communities in the Southwest, and the challenges and opportunities for conservation and continued use.
More classes will be offered during the 2008 Southwest Summer Institute for Preservation and Regionalism. Registration is currently open to regular and non-degree students. For more information contact Meghan Bayer at mbayer@unm.edu or call 277-0071.