THE WATER IN THE ALPUJARRA
Ditches
With the objective of containing the water to be able to use it in the summer and so that its flow reaches the agricultural areas, a whole system of ditches is designed and built. The most typical ones are these three: careo, madre and irrigation canal.
- Careo ditches: They contain part of the water from the river. These ditches allow the infiltration of water along all the way to, finally, flow into more permeable areas, called careos. In this way, the land acts as an enormous water-collecting area without having to build up big water-engineer works.
- Madre ditches and branch lines: From the main canals, that get the water from the river, the secondary branches arise and distribute the water.
Each ditch or ensemble is managed by a Collective Irrigation Co-operative that is in charge of cleaning up before the starting of the irrigation season. The most common system for managing water is the so known as “batches”. Each owner receives the water from the previous irrigation person and they keep following an established order.
Some ditches or irrigation channels are older, even older than the Muslim colonization. These are exceptions and they have a Roman origin. Other works belong to the contemporary age. Many of them are related with the successful production of the grape from Almería in the valley of Andarax.
Carrying auxiliary structures
They are used to carry the water as far and as high as possible. This means to build bridges, aqueducts, etc. For example, Los Arcos Aqueduct (Cástaras) or the Aqueduct of or over the Almacete ravine (Dalías).
Water tanks or ponds
They allow the accumulation of enough water to either water or just to store it. The need of a bigger accumulation of water will lead to the construction of water tanks with perimeter walls made of masonry. The Alberca Grande in Mecina Fondales (La Taha) excels.
Dams
These are thick walls built through a river, stream or canal to dam water or to take it out of its bed.
In the region, there are some examples of dams, such as “El Pantano de la Reina” (Dalías), from the Middle Ages or the “Presa del Pantano” (Alicún), a small infrastructure from the 19th century.
Waterwheel
To take the water to higher places it is necessary to create waterwheels or the “Archimedes’ screw”.
Water windmill
Water windmills use the power of the wind to extract underground water, for example the water windmill in “El Camino Real”. Due to the big topographic unevenness in some areas, only with positive ignition engines carrying water from the river to them has been possible.
LIVESTOCK WATER USAGE
Abrevoirs
Semi-natural sites to provide water to the livestock. The Balsa de La Chanata (boundary marker among five territories: Bentarique, Instinción, Terque, Felix and Enix) or the Balsa de El Calabrial in Fenix.
Ponds and water tanks
Essential construction for transhumance that was widespread since the Almohad domain in the peninsula. The low areas of Sierra Nevada and the area closed to the coast are places where there is not much water for the livestock. For this reason, building ponds is necessary. In this case, the giant pond of “La Chanata” in Instinción is a good example.
Among the types of livestock medieval ponds in the region, the followings can be found: Alpujarra’ mountain pond, Campo de Dalías pond type and big ponds.
THE WATER AND ITS URBAN USAGE
Springs
Spouts fountains receive the water from springs and are used to quench the thirst of the neighbours and to fill the water jugs. The most important fountain of the villages is the so-called “square fountain”, which is the one that has a more intricate decoration. One of the most important of this kind is the square fountain of Laujar in Andarax from 1684.
Washing places
These are one of the elements used to make the most of the water by the people in the villages. Inside, they are normally rectangular and a more or less high canal goes across it, as a kind of backbone of the space. At first, it was full of slabs to wash and, later, of pre-fabricated sinks.
Water tanks or urban pools
They are used to store non-used water to be later used for watering.
Wells
The best conformed ones have a metal parapet and metal arch to hang the pulley, which holds the rope that goes up and down supporting the bucket by which the water is drawn.
Cisterns and tanks
The cisterns, besides providing water to livestock, are also designed, many of them, for human consumption. That is why they are placed in the towns and in farmhouses. Even the ones placed in castles and small castles should be taken into account, as they were vital for the survival of the population in case of siege. The spectacular cistern of the Alcazaba of Fiñana, which had the capacity to supply the entire population, stands out.
Other unique buildings would be the tanks, cisterns that are partially buried cylindrical structures with vaulted roof formed with half orange shape. In the region they are exceptional. The tank of the Aguilar farmhouse stands out. It is located in Alhama de Almería.
Springs
The Alpujarra has a lot of springs from which chalybeate water or “sour water” gushes out. This water has many beneficial effects for the organism. The Baños del Piojo in Cástaras is an important example. It has chalybeate and sulphurous water.
The best-known spa springs in the occidental Alpujarra are the Springs and the Spa of Lanjarón. The current building was built there in the second decade of the 20th century.
The most important baths from an archaeological point of view in the oriental Alpujarra are the Arabic Baths of Benejí (11th century) and the Reina de Celín Baths in Dalías (13th century).
