Spanish Water, Anglo Water

Download or read book Spanish Water, Anglo Water written by Charles R. Porter and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2011-06-22 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1718, the Spanish settled San Antonio, partly because of its prolific and breathtaking springs—at that time, one of the largest natural spring systems in the known world. The abundance of fresh water, coupled with the Spanish colonial legal concept that water was to be equitably shared by all settlers, led to the building of the system of acequias (canals or ditches) within the settlement. The system is one of the earliest and perhaps most extensive municipal water systems in North America. This book offers a meticulous chronicling of the origins and often-contentious development of water rights in San Antonio from its Spanish settlement through the beginning of the twentieth century.