Water and memory: recovery of historic irrigation systems in Los Cerricos, Oria
On Friday, 26 September, we participated in the presentation of Velezana magazine, a leading publication in the cultural and heritage field in the Vélez-Rubio region and its surroundings. This issue includes our article entitled ‘Water and memory: recovery of historic irrigation systems in Los Cerricos, Oria’.
In this work, we reflect on the importance of historic irrigation systems as an essential part of our cultural, ecological and social heritage. Through the case of Los Cerricos (Oria), we show how the recovery of ancient hydraulic infrastructures not only guarantees better use of water in a territory marked by aridity, but also constitutes an exercise in collective memory, in which local knowledge passed down from generation to generation is revalued.
The experience of Los Cerricos highlights that conserving and reactivating these traditional irrigation systems involves much more than restoring ditches or springs: it means strengthening community ties, revitalising agricultural landscapes of enormous historical and environmental value, and opening new avenues towards sustainable water management models, at a time when the climate crisis is once again placing this resource at the centre of global concerns.
