The cultures of water in the Southwest
As a colleague and I prepare to launch block 6 (Feb 20 th start date) with our Southwest Studies 272 ( Nature, Region, and Society of the Southwest ) methods course, I am finalizing the details of our field excursion into New Mexico. Our theme will be on the “cultures of water in the Southwest.” And while sticking to New Mexico may not show all the dimensions to the theme, it certainly will cover most contemporary concerns related to water: cultural perceptions of water, water use, water rights, and also the rights of ecosystems and species. So what we have planned is visits, discussions with local and regional experts on the various cultures represented in the state. We have assigned Sylvia Rodriguez's book on Acequias , a volume largely focused on the Taos Valley experience (see the map) , as a way to illustrate the complexity surrounding water use, ritual, and place in northern New Mexico. We'll be with her, in the flesh, on March 6, as a way for the students to 'me...