Historic Acequia Restored

El Zaguán Restores Historic Acequia

By Marissa Bingham and Ruthbeth Finerman

The acequia restored.

Photo credit: Ruthbeth Finerman

Santa Fe Extension Master Gardeners are celebrating 10 years of work in the garden at El Zaguán, headquarters of the Historic Santa Fe Foundation on Canyon Road. The property dates to the early 1800s and is a vivid representation of local history, architecture and ornamental gardens. The site challenges us to respect the property’s heritage while also putting into practice organic, sustainable gardening methods. For example, many plantings comprised colonial Spanish imports from Europe, and later homesteaders from the eastern United States introduced prestige specimens from across the nation and around the globe. SFEMG project leaders plan to integrate a wider selection of native and low-water plants with the garden’s historic exotics.

A distinguishing feature of El Zaguán’s grounds is its acequia. The stone-lined irrigation ditch was built by Maria Jesusita Johnson after the family purchased the property in 1854. Johnson used the water channel, fed by the Acequia Madre, to irrigate her famed flower garden.

Acequias evolved in areas ranging from the Middle East to Spain to the U.S. Southwest to deliver water for flood irrigation. In New Mexico they date to ancestral Puebloan societies but proliferated during colonization in the 17 th and 18 th centuries and continue to irrigate agricultural fields today. While some might claim that acequias are “inefficient,” studies suggest that they provide an effective strategy to deliver water in the face of climate change and offer environmental advantages by supporting plant biodiversity and wildlife (Medrano, 2021). The term “acequia” refers to both the physical structure and the communal association of members who govern acequia maintenance and management in addition to sharing rights to water accessed through the channeled system (Crawford, 1988).

Many acequias suffered lack of maintenance during WWII due to the shrunken labor pool. A number of the irrigation ditches, including El Zaguán’s, were permanently shut after the McClure Reservoir opened in the late 1940s. The Foundation preserved remnants of its water channel, and tours of the property recounted the rich history of acequias. While under threat, about 700 of these conduits are still active in smaller farming communities across northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Local author Stanley Crawford, himself a garlic farmer in Dixon, wrote “Mayordomo,” a cherished chronicle that illuminates acequias as a living tradition.

The Historic Santa Fe Foundation contracted to rebuild its acequia in spring and summer 2022. The project was historically informed but proved disruptive to the garden. During renovations workers installed a well-water fed tank in a lower yard and a circulating pump by a manually operated flume gate near the building’s portal and flower garden entrance. More crucially for the master gardeners and interns, builders closed off the garden’s entry steps and trenched through flower beds where the acequia channel ran, pulling out the existing irrigation system. Project leaders were forced to hand water the entire garden twice each week from May through mid-August, when most of the irrigation system was finally restored. Irrigation lines for flower beds flanking the acequia remain out of order but should be repaired this year.

Sadly, many plantings near the trenched out acequia were also torn up or buried under massive stones dug out of the old acequia. Worse still, the roots of two historic trees were severed, threatening their long-term survival. SFEMG volunteers labored to preserve as many beautiful and historic plants as possible, and the Foundation will support project leader plans to redesign and replant the beds. The lush grounds will thrive once more as we replace damaged trees, shrubs and perennials. The silver lining will be new public education workshops on landscape design, soil building and planting skills, and more learning experiences and instructional opportunities for volunteer interns and master gardeners. Project leaders also hope to expand the variety of native plants, and to teach the public their value for reducing water use and supporting native bees and other beneficial insects. Despite some growing pains, the restored acequia will enhance the historic mission of El Zaguán, strengthen public education, and engage SFEMG in planning for a sustainable future for this and other gardens in our region.

References:

Crawford, Stanley. Mayordomo. New York: Anchor Books, 1988.

Medrano, Lourdes. Climate Changes Puts New Mexico’s Ancient Acequias to the Test: Communal irrigation systems that have sustained communities, culture, and birdlife for centuries are running dry in a drought-racked Southwest. Audubon Magazine, October 12, 2021.

Article originally published in the March 2023 edition of the SFEMG Newsletter.