A levada is an

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

channel or aqueduct specific to the Portuguese Atlantic region of

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History

In Madeira, the levadas originated out of the necessity of bringing large amounts of water from the west and northwest of the island to the drier southeast, which is more conducive to habitation and agriculture, such as sugar cane production. They were used in the past also by women to wash clothes in areas where running water to homes was not available. The idea of this style of water channel was brought to Portugal by the

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during the time of

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(dubious) . Similar examples can still be found in Iberia, such as some

Acequia An acequia () or séquia () is a community-operated watercourse used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Particularly in Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and the modern-day American Southwest particularly n ...

s in Spain. In the sixteenth century the Portuguese started building levadas to carry water to the agricultural regions. The most recent were made in the 1940s. Madeira is very mountainous, and building the levadas was often difficult. Many are cut into the sides of mountains, and it was also necessary to dig of tunnels. Levada

Levadas today

Today the levadas not only supply water to the southern parts of the island, they also provide hydroelectric power. There are more than of levadas and they provide a remarkable network of walking paths. Some provide easy and relaxing walks through beautiful countryside, but others are narrow, crumbling ledges where a slip could result in serious injury or death. A popular levada to hike is the ' which continues as the '. Altogether it is about long. Along both parts there are long sections which may cause hikers to suffer vertigo; and several tunnels for which flashlights and helmets are essential. The ' is a much easier walk. This levada runs from to the '' Tunnel''. It is known as the ' because

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

s (commonly misnamed mimosas) are found all along the route.J. and P. Underwood, ''Landscapes of Madeira'' (Sunflower Books) is the most widely used guide to the levadas. It provides detailed instructions and maps covering 42 levadas and other walks.

References

{{Levadas of Madeira Buildings and structures in Madeira Irrigation canals Portuguese words and phrases

History

Levadas today

See also

References