Mazarrón and the water. From the irrigation system «boqueras» in the fifteenth century to desalination plants installation

Authors

  • Mariano Carlos Guillén Riquelme
Keywords: drought, prayers, agriculture, irrigation system, canalization, overexploitation, desalination

Abstract

In this study, we analyzed the struggle of a community to master the onslaught of their natural habitat; from the drought to the specific episodes of torrential rains. For five centuries the inhabitants of Mazarrón water sought by the most unlikely means, either with prayers to the Virgin, either by applying ancient mechanical devices that took advantage of the few flood in the dry riverbed. As in other occasions, nature has been finally dominated for the humans, acting it with an eagerness to sprawl that almost always ends up revolting against him. In this regard, we can mention the intensive tomato production in the last three decades has led to the overexploitation of farmland and the depletion of the main aquifers. The future, however seems to depend on desalination plants.

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Published
07-11-2015
How to Cite
Guillén Riquelme, M. C. (2015). Mazarrón and the water. From the irrigation system «boqueras» in the fifteenth century to desalination plants installation. Murcian Journal of Anthropology, (22), 75–94. Retrieved from https://revistas.um.es/rmu/article/view/240741