THE HISTORY OF IRRIGATION. 9 



ganized government. The ivnniaiits of this nation or 

 nations are found in the Pueblos of Acoma, Cochita, 

 Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Moqui, Nambe, Picuris, Zuui, 

 and others of New Mexico, and the Chihuahuas and 

 Tequas and others along the Rio Grande in Texas. The 

 writer has stood upon the ruins of La Gran Quivera and 

 traced for miles with his eye the grade of a great irri- 

 gating ditch. Ruins of ancient towns have also been 

 found along the Pecos river in Texas. There are few 

 streams in Arizona and New Mexico where traces of 

 ancient works cannot be found. Earthquakes and wars 

 with savage neighbors brought about the destruction of 

 most of these works. The Spanish marauders under 

 Cabeza do Vaca, and later on under Coronado, helped 

 to bring about further decay. In Peru, the land of the 

 Incas, and throughout Mexico and Central America, the 

 early Spanish explorers found such magnificent irrigat- 

 ing works that their astonishment was very marked. 

 The elaborate appliances for irrigation were neglected 

 and allowed to go to ruin. The now existing works do 

 not compare in magnitude to the ancient works. Parts 

 of Arizona and New Mexico were at some remote period 

 densely populated and then abandoned. Quite exten- 

 sive systems of irrigating canals of prehistoric origin 

 have been found on the Colorado river, and parts of 

 them have been adapted to the modern canals. At the 

 Casa Grande and in the Salt River valley of Southern 

 Arizona these canals may still be seen. Twenty-five 

 years ago an engineer at field work near Riverside, Cal- 

 ifornia, was running the level for a proposed ditch. He 

 could not establish the grade satisfactorily, so he went 

 again to the stream and reconnoitered for a new start. 

 He was surprised to find an old acequia so old in fact 

 that its banks were scarcely discernible and by care- 

 fully following its course he was still more astonished to 

 discover that it had brought him to his original objec- 



