ABSTRACT
New Mexico is a unique place for examining the sustainability of tradi tional cultures. Hispano villagers and Pueblo Indians created a system of resource utilization that in some instances has sustained village life for over 600 years (Baxter, 1997; Meyer, 1996). These communities developed communal irrigation systems called acequias that allowed agricultural pro duction in New Mexico’s semi-arid climate (Nostrand, 1992; Meinig, 1971). In the process, a complex set of customs and laws were developed to allocate water between competing users and during shortages (Clark, 1987). When the United States gained possession of New Mexico, the property rights granted by the antecedent sovereigns in the region, Spain and Mexico, were recognized under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and included the right to use water (DuMars et al., 1984). The territory and state of New Mexico also recognized these established water rights and the customary process of allocation between competing users that had been created. Although New Mexico claims to be a prior appropriation state in its water allocation, priority is only one of the factors considered under this traditional system. With increased pressure being put on limited water sup plies, reallocation from traditional uses to urban uses seems inevitable.
