The Historical Water Archive began it's activities in February of 1994, after an agreement of collaboration was reached between the National Water Commission and the (CIESAS), the objective of this project is to create a place to study and research the historical use and how hydraulics have been taken advantage of in Mexico.

The HWA consists of historical archives that belong to the CONAGUA and were generated by the federal dependencies that preceded this institution in the handling of the nation's water systems. Each archive has different origins and characteristics, but everything is closely related with the history of the use of water and with the cultural aspects of social groups in our country. A large percentage of the historical documentation belongs to the 20 th century although documentation also exits from the 16 th and 19 th centuries.

Due to the aforementioned documents it has been possible to investigate the economic, social, testing, legal, hydraulic, environmental, political, and handling of waters of federal ownership through the dependencies and their relationships with the user. These also contain important information concerning large and small irrigation projects by the institutions. Projects that include the uses and customs on the handling of water, complaints, conflicts that arise and natural disasters in the country.

The wealth of information in this documentation is an important means of gathering knowledge concerning: indigenous customs, land and water rights disputes, haciendas claims to water, infrastructure, technology used, taxes, import, water counsels. And getting information about key players in the acquisition of properties, water rights and the public administration in our country for the past three centuries for the use of water in Mexico , as well.

In conjunction to this information the Historical Water Archive is of crucial importance to the CONAGUA since government employees can refer to the collection of archives for the resolutions of conflict, indemnities, acts of eminent domain, rights of usage and suits. And can also be used for the reconstruction of facts in issues of water and hydraulic points. Up to now the archive is composed of seven collection's of documentation, which reveal numerous aspects of the complicated history of hydraulics in Mexico .

The objectives of the Historical Water Archive are:

The mission of the Historical Water Archive is to protect and safeguard the information generated by the National Water Commission and the ministry of water as well as the government agencies that came before. And to have this information at the disposal of the users to promote environmental investigations in regard to the uses of water in Mexico . With this information on hand questions and themes regarding hydraulics can be dealt with in and easier fashion in the interest of national and academic issues.

General characteristics of Historical Water Archive

The HWA (Historical Water Archives) has the distinction of being the only one of it's kind. It specializes on the history of the use of hydraulic developments and the cultural aspects of different social groups in our country. To date, the HWA is a collection of seven documents, from the 16th to 20th century, which illustrate the historical growth, culture, politics and economy of the uses and benefits of water through images and texts. The stock of documentation dated from 1888 is due to the fact that the federal government started to have a hand in hydraulic issues so the users could be documented and recorded and help them maintain their rights, that had been undisputed for as long as anyone could remember. It should be noted that the documents from the colonial period are in fact certified copies of the originals.

There are several points which are investigated:

It is important to point out that not only do the documents show the different historical processes, they inform us as to what kind of specific hydraulic technology was used and its development as well. Some of the information that has been recorded: Technical specifications, geological investigations, socio-economic information etc.

Images and processes of construction of hydro-electric and irrigation dams can also be found.

Background of documents

Superficial Advantage

To date this specific fund is made up of 68, 775 dossiers, which lined up total 618 linear meters. Made up of documents produced by the Ministry of Development (1891), Ministry of Agriculture and Development: the National Commission of Irrigation and the Ministry of Hydraulic Resources, these consist of confirmation request and right of concession for the use of water, complaints and conflict among users, connections between land and hydraulic conflicts, request for tax exemptions, to give testimony of ownership of national waters, technological questions, effects of floods and droughts, damages that internal national conflicts may have provoked. This collection of documents contain an important number of testimonies, possessions, distribution, composition, formal complaints and other legal procedures from the Mexican colonial period. A large number of these documents are certified copies of the originals.

Technical resources (IMTA)

Since the law on irrigation using federally owned waters, in 1926, the need to create National Irrigation Committee (CNI) arose. Its main objective is to investigate and build projects for the purpose of watering in benefit of the national agriculture sector. The aforementioned commission hared American engineers to teach and train Mexican engineers on the first real projects for large irrigation trials. Some of the documents that stand out from the rest are the ones that make reference to the construction of dams and all the work that it may imply such as: nozzle inspections, geological surveys, geo-hydraulic surveys, land surveys, farm land surveys, socio-economic surveys, permeability, seismological, and ground inspections, There are also some documentation that makes reference to investigation that were done for the prevention of floods, erosion, leaks and cracking as well as recording the actual volume of water.

This collection is key in the registry of public works as far as hydraulic benefit is concerned and consists of 11, 832 dossiers which lined up total 150 linear meters.

Photographic collection

This collection was created when 7, 000 photographs taken by CONAGUA (Citizens' Participation of the Water Commission) made a donation of these. Currently the fund is composed 45, 101 individual pieces which if lined up total 154 linear meters which not only contain photographic images but the black and white as well as color negatives of these as well. These prints portray and record the every day life of several different social groups dealing with the handling of water as well as different stages of construction of hydraulic public works at the federal level and works related to industrial activity. The series that stand out the most are those that record small and large irrigation, irrigation districts and public works being done in and around the vicinity of Mexico City . This collection is important because it demonstrates the importance photographic images have acquired in recording historical events.

The Grijalva River Commission

On June 27th, 1951 President Miguel Alemán created a technical organization and administration that was under the Ministry of Hydraulic Recourses jurisdiction and was christened “the Grijalva River Commission”. The main objective of the project was the fulfillment of jobs and works for the Grijalvas river basin which included the areas of three different states: Tabasco , Chiapas and Oaxaca .

This proyect's intention was also to find ways to avoid the constant overflows and floods by the local rivers. In addition to studying and building defensive works such as storage and control dams, drainage and channel guides as well as specific works to improve the advantage of the hydraulic systems for use in irrigation and in benefit for the production of energy. There are 13, 700 documents compiled in this dossier which if lined up will total 95 linear meters.

Hydraulic Infrastructure

The collection of documents conforming this particular section is made up of 27, 664 dossiers which add up to 121 linear meters. The documents that can be found in this collection record the action taken, work and historic process by the Ministry of Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Development, National Commission of Irrigation and the Ministry of Hydraulic Resources. It also records the actions taken by the branch offices of the previously mentioned ministries and their handling of the hydraulic recourses in different parts of the country. The last stages of large and small irrigation projects are recorded in this collection in addition to the history of hydraulic engineering progress. The papers that stand out in this collection are: technical reports and studies, investigations, projects for public works etc.

National Water

The documents were in boxes located in the Meteorological of Tacubaya. In 2002 these papers were moved to HWA (Historical Water Archive) with the help of users dependence of the CONAGUA. In February of 2002 the documentation was catalogued. To date, this collection consists of 8, 131classified dossiers (of approximately 70, 000) which lined up to a total of 88 linear meters. The collection of documents contain historical processes about social use of water and the hydraulic law that is used to continue the paperwork demanded by users, companies, and governmental agencies.

This collection as well as Superficial Advantage, both contain document from the Ministry of Development (1891) to the beginning of the Ministry of Hydraulic Resources (1947-1976). The conflicts created by the use of water is the main characteristic of this collection.

Papaloapan Commission

This collection was transferred in October 2003, from Ciudad Alemán , Veracruz . There are 2, 532 dossiers classified (of approximately 40, 000). The documents contain information made by Previous-Commission of Papaloapan of 1947 to 1986 of three states; Oaxaca , Puebla and Veracruz . The kinds of documents that can be found are reports of work by the Commission, health programmers, educational, agricultural, cattie breeders and industrial, expropriate decrees, studies and investigations about defensive works and land conservation, land evaluations, compensation payment, requests and complaints among users, agreements an work contracts, reports to open ways, introduction of public services, energy, create agricultural and irrigation districts, as well as a great numbers of photographs, maps, blueprints and sketches. Items of investigations can be found in these documents as move to indigenous zone damage by construction of Miguel Alemán and Cerro de Oro dams and floods, expropriation, created centre of new populations, constructions of large and small irrigation projects. Also the information makes a study of the dam with thousands of air photos, blueprints and maps made by the Commission during those years.

Library of Historical Water Archive

The library of HWA is made up more of 13, 000 items registered in the newspaper and bibliographic database. Most of texts are specialized in items as: hydraulic projects, irrigation, irrigation districts, agricultural uses, industrial, hydraulics engineering, ecological environmental, anthropology and history. The bibliographic and newspaper that make up publications which were given or exchanged by academic institutions (El Colegio de México, El Colegio de San Luis, La UNAM , CIESAS, Instituto Nacional de Recursos Hidráulicos de cuba, University of New Mexico, Netherlands Engineering Consultants Foundation) and the federal government (National Commission Irrigation 1926-1946; Ministry of hydraulic resources, 1977 and National Water Commission, 1989).

The library collection is made up of:

Bibliographic collection. This is formed by a special collection (late 19th and early 20th century books), general collection, thesis and consult works (guides, dictionaries and encyclopedias).

Brochures. This collection consist of more that 700 issues which mainly come from institutions such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Hydraulic Resources, Mexican Institute of Technology Related to Water, Ministery of Hydralic Resources, the Commission of Water Department Federal District Mexico City just as some institutions of higher education.

Vertical Archive. Is formed by 1, 109 documents all of which have different origins, such as: General Archives of the Nation, General Agriculture Archives and Mexican libraries. Within these Archives one can find copies of dossiers, public articles or articles downloaded from the Internet, chapters books, etc, all the material is in reference to water.

Newspaper library heritage. Contains more than 200 titles of periodic publications which are sequentially numbered these articles related to water can be used as reference article by article. One of most important being: Irrigation in Mexico (1930-1946), Hydraulic Engineering in Mexico (1946-1970 and 1985 to the date). Hydraulic Resources (1970-1981), Technical Memorandum (1937-1979 among others.

Private libraries. This is made up of donations made by private collections. Engineers with extensive experience dealing with hydraulics such as: Manuel Anaya y Sorribas, Héctor Miguel Barreda, José Hernández Terán and Pedro Ramírez Almaráz, have all contributed. The collection consists of 2, 419 titles. Newspaper clippings, brochures, photographs, logs of presidential agreements, papers, bibliography material, newspaper library and cartography, can all be found in this area.

The HWA offers the following services:

Guided tours
Consulting room of material from archive and library
Interlibrary loans
Photocopy access
Print outs
Digital copies of photographs
Printed reports

Our regular working hours are from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 15: 30.

Archives Manager
Israel Sandre Osorio

Archives Coordinator
Jessica Ríos Alvarado

Technology Coordinator
Nora Duana Calette

Library Coordinator
Soledad García Sosa