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| Title |
The Effect of Trincheras Upon Agriculture In The Pompa Basin Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico
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| Author(s) |
Dennis, Howard Willis
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| School/Department |
Department of Geography
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| Institution |
University of Denver
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| Degree Type |
Master's
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| Degree Name |
M.A.
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| Type of Resource |
text
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| Degree Date |
1967-3
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| Digital Origin |
reformatted digital
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| Rights Statement |
All Rights Reserved
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| Reason for Restrictions |
No restrictions
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| Type of Restriction |
No restrictions
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| Keyword(s) |
Geology
Geography
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| Abstract |
Within the past three years the Department of Geography of the University of Denver has become increasingly interested in man-made rock structures found in southwestern United States and northern Mexico. These structures, built by ancient inhabitants of this large area, have only recently been discussed in scientific literature. The earliest reference found is 1892 but most references post date 1930. These rock structures are called trincheras in the present literature and the name is applied to a variety of rock structures. Trinchera in Spanish means “…a trench, entrenchment; deep cut, or ditch.” For the purpose of this investigation trinchera shall be defined as any structure of rock, earth, or combination of rock and earth built across a perennial or ephemeral stream channel. Some of these rock structures are said to be as much as 900 years old and many uses have been attributed to them; defense, religion, soil collection, water spreading, and water collection are some of the uses mentioned in the literature. The structures built for defensive and religious purposes are apparently easily recognizable. (See Figure 1.) The other type of structure, the so-called “true” trincheras, which is associated with hydrology and agriculture, is the subject of this study. In the past two and one-half years rock structures have been built in the heart of the Serra Madre Occidental in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, by the Unidad Industrial Forestal de Bosques de Chihuahua. The purpose of these structures is never in doubt; the engineer responsible for the construction has been interviewed and states unequivocally the purpose for which they were built. This eliminates the argument over the primary purpose of these trincheras, limiting this discussion to other effects. The secondary effects produced by trincheras are the concern of this investigation; more precisely the question: Do trincheras have positive effect on agriculture? The results of the basic inquiry establishes the fact that these simple structures have indeed affected agriculture. A.F. Bandlier, Final Report of Investigation Among the Indians of the Southwestern United States Carried on Mainly in the Years from 1880 to 1885 (Papers of the Archaeological Institute of America, American Series IV. Cambridge: John Wilson and Son, University Press, 1892). Edgar Allison Peers, et al. (eds.), Cassell’s Spanish Dictionary (New York: Funk and Wagnall’s, 1959), p. 757. Laurance C.Herold, “Trincheras and Physical Environment Along the Rio Gavilan, Chihuahua, Mexico (Publications in Geography, Technical Paper 65-1. University of Denver, 1965), p.2. Bandelier, op. cit., pp. 491, 566.
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| Handle |
http://hdl.handle.net/10176/codu:38546
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| Attached Files |
| Name |
Description |
MIMEType |
Size |
Downloads |
du_mas_1967_Dennis.pdf
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du_mas_1967_Dennis.pdf |
application/pdf |
23.71MB |
0 |
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