Tracing Conflict Through Canals: An Archaeological Perspective on Water Management in Cerdanya and Sierra Nevada

Abstract

Water resource management has long shaped the social construction of space in both its material and jurisdictional dimensions, making Cerdanya and Sierra Nevada particularly interesting case studies of irrigation societies. The sharing of water (through artefacts, practices, and actions) emerges as a key factor in ensuring continuity despite the jurisdictional conflicts documented historically. Revisiting the debate on collective resources, this study highlights the positive role of conflict as a mechanism for regulating access and examines the contribution of objects to the persistence and transformation of resource use. Objects such as canals are not passive infrastructures but active devices through which water is distributed, social relations are mobilised and maintenance becomes a collective practice. The article explores how the maintenance and use of conduits shaped the social life of groups engaged in irrigation, and how these practices are reflected in negotiation mechanisms documented in disputes over access rights. Drawing on case studies from Barranco de la Poqueira (Sierra Nevada) and Ribeira d’Eyne (Cerdanya), carried out by the Laboratory of Environmental Archaeology and History, the contribution examines the links between material infrastructures, resource sharing, and community structures, and assesses how sustainability depends on the interplay of conflict, solidarity, and collective maintenance.