Other forms: acequias
An acequia is a trench that's used to irrigate farmland. Acequias are common throughout the Americas, from Argentina to Colorado.
The Spanish word acequia has an Arabic root, al-sāqiyah, "one that bears water." In parts of Mexico and Spain, irrigation canals have long been known as acequias. These watercourses, and the Spanish word for them, spread into parts of the U.S. that were once Spanish colonies. Some acequias still functioning today in Colorado and New Mexico were dug more than 400 years ago.