Aigua per al pa, aigua per al sucre: La construcció de les séquies de Palma i d’en March a l’Alfàs de l’Horta de Gandia. Segles XIII i XV

This book studies the agricultural landscape of the Palma and the March irrigation canals, two of the hydraulic systems of the Alfas’ area. It is located between Serpis and Vernisa rivers in the municipalities of Ador, Palma and Beniarjó (Spain’s Valencian Community). Through the combination of hydraulic archaeology and written materials, this study proves that Palma’s irrigation canal was built in the middle of the 13^th century by the area’s Christian society in order to enlarge the irrigated surface and consolidate Cristian settlements in Palma and Ador. To do so, a preexisting Al-Andalus irrigation channel was used. On the other hand, March’s irrigation channel was built in 1457 at the initiative of Ausiàs March (Beniarjó’s lord) to increase sugar production. The irrigated lands weren’t exclusively used for sugar production, but they helped achieve this increase in production while still providing enough wheat for the local areas. Despite of the chronological differences and the unequal area of these two systems, they shared the final goal: the obtaining of income for the lords.