Las Acequias     Santa Fe, New Mexico

   
     The name of the park and of the neighborhood, Las Acequias, reflects a time in the recent past when this neighborhood was pasture and cultivated fields watered by the Acequia Madre and its network of irrigation ditches fed by the Santa Fe River. These acequias were built and maintained cooperatively, by the parciantes - the shareholders and users of the community irrigation system.
   

      As the area has undergone transformation, many of these acequias have gone dry, including the section of the Acequia Madre that once ran through this neighborhood and the park.  

    
     In January 2003 we were chosen by a selection committee under the auspices of the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission as artists to create a monumental sculpture for Las Acequias Park.

 

“La Acequia” is dedicated to all acequias and parciantes of New Mexico - 
past, present, and future.

Bench/acequia formwork
ready to fill with concrete

“La Acequia” está dedicada a todos
los parciantes de las acequias de Nuevo México -
del pasado, de hoy día y del futuro.

Forms for
the entry sculpture

Hank, Max and Mark
set up a form

 

Hank on 'top of it' removing formwork
from a sculpture

 



Sculpture after the forms
have been removed

 

With the forms removed,
Jaime tries out the sculpture seat.
   

The sculpture is
ready for tile.
 

Max loading tiles into the kiln
 

Tile is stacked and ready

  

 

The first bench is tiled