The indigenous people, the Huarpes, dug the original acequias to direct surface water from the Mendoza River (and other rivers) to irrigate agricultural fields. Located in a semiarid region, Mendoza is fortunate to have a relatively reliable source of surface water that comes from snow melt in the Andes mountains. When the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, they destroyed most of the indigenous culture, but not the acequias. They recognized the value of this type of water infrastructure that allows human life in the desert. The Spanish conquistadores (conquerors), maintained and reorganized the acequias so that these continued to supply water to Mendoza.
On 20 March 1861, a disaster hit the city. A powerful earthquake hit Mendoza and destroyed most buildings, a fire consumed the few buildings that were still standing, and obstructed aqueducts caused flooding. This original area of Mendoza is now known as ‘La Ciudad Vieja’ (The Old City). ‘La Ciudad Nueva’ (The New City) was built in 1863 along the property line of the old Hacienda San Nicolas—a neighboring farm located on slightly higher ground. The design of this modern city addressed public health concerns about toxic air, that was thought to cause diseases, by opening streets to air and light. Although nowadays the streets are sometimes completely shaded by the tree canopy cover, back then, the trees were not fully grown, and sunlight filled the streets of Mendoza. The new urban design also incorporated infrastructure for different modes of transportation and water systems—potable, stormwater and wastewater. The new city is characterized by the features that we find today in Mendoza including the tree-lined streets, plazas, parks, boulevards, and of course, the acequias.
For the first time in the history of Mendoza, vegetation acquired an aesthetic value and became the proud identity of Mendoza, or ‘The Forest City.’ The constant flow of water is now controlled by strategically located gates that are opened for certain periods of time, depending on the water allocation – or the agreed volume of water that corresponds to a particular water use. The slope of the terrain does the rest of the work, as gravity pulls water with a constant flow to run through the city and, more importantly, along the roots of the aligned trees. However, the functioning design of this water infrastructure was not successful in the beginning. Stagnant water in some sections of the city used to invade the air with foul odors, and this was thought to cause diseases.
To correct this flaw, the design standards for Mendoza have been changed by trial and error over time. Nowadays, the acequias work for the most part (carrying flowing water), except when there is a flood event, or when the acequias are blocked by trash that nowadays includes plastics. Innovation is needed to address these remaining design issues.
Nature in Mendoza serves more purposes than mere aesthetics. Although not frequent, there are flood episodes in Mendoza known as aluviones, when the river floods and carries vast volumes of sediment, severely damaging the urban infrastructure. In addition, every now and then, there are winds, known as vientos sonda, that hit the city. These winds are unusually hot and sandy and affect the health of the population. To protect the city from these events, and for sanitation reasons, two parks were built—the West Park known today as the General San MartÃn Park; and the East Park, known today as the O’Higgins Park. The parks and plazas significantly improved the air quality of the city. The San Martin Park was designed by the famous French-Argentinean landscape architect Carlos Thays, who also designed several parks in Buenos Aires. His design of the San Martin Park followed the English and French landscape design principles of the 19th century that include promenades with sculptures, a rose garden, and splendid fountains. Nowadays, the 971-acre park also includes a stadium, a university, CONICET offices, and an amphitheater – where the main event of the Vendimia took place.
In addition to enhanced aesthetics, flood control, and air purification, open spaces were used as refuges. To protect the citizens from anticipated earthquakes, plazas were built across the city. This way, nature is used to enhance urban resilience in Mendoza. The city’s urban reforestation program was legally supported by the Provincial Law No. 19, signed in 1896. This law addresses the regulatory challenge of greening projects – to develop policies that support these types of initiatives.
In addition to enhanced aesthetics, flood control, and air purification, open spaces were used as refuges. To protect the citizens from anticipated earthquakes, plazas were built across the city. This way, nature is used to enhance urban resilience in Mendoza. The city’s urban reforestation program was legally supported by the Provincial Law No. 19, signed in 1896. This law addresses the regulatory challenge of greening projects – to develop policies that support these types of initiatives.
Artificial lake for water storage.
