El Agua es la Vida
“El Agua es la Vida” is our campaign to defend water as a community resource. Our culture and traditions include teachings that water is so essential to all life that is must be shared. Our water-sharing customs , also known as the repartimiento, embody this principle.
In New Mexico, water has always been a scarce and precious resource. Demands to move water out of traditional communities to industry, sprawling cities, and commercial uses that are often viewed as “higher economic uses” threaten the survival of acequias and the water security of the historic, agricultural communities of New Mexico.
Acequias are on the forefront of challenging the commodification of water in New Mexico. Our Agua es Vida Declaration articulates our basic principles regarding water, strategies for defending our water, and strategies for allies to join our movement.
NMAA is directly involved in defending water on a daily basis - one community, one acequia, one parciante at a time. Through our Acequia Governance project, we empower acequias to retain local ownership and control of water rights. Our “El Agua No Se Vende, El Agua Se Defiende” handout, click here for English handout, has been distributed to hundreds of parciantes who are faced with decisions regarding water transfers.