"Significance; Work on the Acequia Madre, or main irrigation ditch, undoubtly started the first or second year of settlement (1835-36), such was its importance to a traditional Hispanic farming village.

"The system starts with a rubble stone diversion dam on the Gallinas River due east of Taos Street.

In some communities, the ditch association, with its elected leader or mayordomo served as a quasi-governmental institution which sometimes became a focal point for resistance to Anglo-American control.

In West Las Vegas, where the Spanish-speaking population retained a large measure of political control, the ditch association has remained a secondary institution.

That the association and the ditch still operate, bringing water to fields along the river, represents a still vital aspect of the original Hispanic village."