Acequia History, Culture, and Ecology
A Salon Talk by Sylvia Rodríguez
Thursday, August 28th, 3pm
Thaw Education Center
553 Canyon Road
ABOUT THE SALON
Free for Members, $10 for non-members
Drawing on images and maps, this talk considers acequias with reference to history and place, culture and moral economy, ecology and science, present conditions, and the future.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sylvia Rodríguez is a native Taoseña and professor emerita of anthropology and former Director of the Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies at the University of New Mexico. Her research and publications have focused on interethnic relations in the Upper Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, where she has studied the cultural impact of tourism; the relationship between ritual, place, and ethnic identity; and conflict over land and water. She has conducted ethnographic and community participatory action research with acequia organizations, and testified as an expert witness on behalf of acequia associations. She currently studies the politics and anthropology of water and collaborates with researchers in various disciplines on questions of acequia sustainability and resilience. Her publications include popular and scholarly articles, book chapters, and two award-winning books: The Matachines Dance: Ritual Symbolism and Interethnic Relations in the Upper Rio Grande Valley, and Acequia: Water Sharing, Sanctity, and Place. She is a commissioner on the Acequia de San Antonio in Valdez and a board member of the Taos Valley Acequia Association.