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  Trailer: Acequias: The Legacy Lives On

  Aracely Chapa

  Acequias -The Legacy Lives On is an hour long visually stunning documentary film (currently in production) about New Mexico's enduring acequias as seen through the eyes of farmers, advocates, scholars, practitioners, lawmakers, journalists and members of the community. Award winning filmmaker, Aracely "Arcie" Chapa, is producing and directing an emotional and reverential tribute to acequias' past, present and future. With funding from UNM's Center for Regional Studies, the film unfolds through a series of storylines including the acequias' current challenges, such as climate change and water rights transfers, their important role in the development of local food sheds, and the economic opportunity they provide for members of rural communities. Further, in an arid state where every drop of water is studied and tracked, it has been shown that acequias provide recharge to our groundwater systems as water seeps into the earth beneath the flow. For over 400 years, Acequias have been in continuous use and remain important to an understanding of New Mexico's acequia heritage and the continuing relevance of these water democracies.