Património da Água nas Comunidades da Serra dos Candeeiros

Abstract

Due to a bold agronomic plan promoted by the cistercian monks of Alcobaça, between the late 17th century and the mid 18th century, the biggest wood of oak trees belonging to the local clerical lands located on the center of the Candeeiros mountain range, gives place to extensive olive grove plantations. To achieve this accomplishment, the monastery develops a colonization policy as a way of conquering arms for the olive tree’s labours. The populations have to live alongside conditions that are adverse to life, namely the lack of spring waters and a poor and stoney soil, from which results a weak fruit crop. The population develops itself along scarce permanent lagoons spread over the mountain heath. Besides this resource, the populations build cooperatively cisterns and wells to welcome the storm waters. Thanks to these strategies they can obtain the indispensable water for the family usage, sheep cattle and working animals, gardens and corn fields. From the previous century’s twenties onward, the economic affluence of a few households allows the construction of private cisterns, but the majority of the population had to settle with the utilization of community wells, with the daily dislocation to the fountains located at the fertile area and also celebrate supply contracts of a daily pitcher of water in exchange for goods and services in the landlord fields.