Mendoza, 25 July 2025 – Western Argentina is extremely dry, yet steady access to water has made it flourish. How was this achieved – how has water been managed over time? What can the past teach us about the water challenges of the present? With these questions as a starting point, the Cuyo Waters Lab today launches its new website: https://aguascuyanas.org/en/, an open-access digital space that brings together history, technology and science to contribute to a more purposeful and sustainable management of water and the environment.
The web platform is part of a research network in Digital Environmental Humanities, and emerges from the joint work of researchers, public archives, and public water management bodies. Particularly crucial has been the partnership with the Archivo Histórico del Agua, which is part of the Departamento General de Irrigación (the General Irrigation Department) of the Province of Mendoza, Argentina.
Drawing together digitized documents and historical collections with current research and spaces of public participation, the website offers valuable resources from specialists as well as for anyone interested in the aquatic patrimony of the region.
What can you find on the website?
- Catalog of the Archivo Histórico del Agua, with a description of collections and documents according to the ISAD-G standard (International Standard for General Archival Description).
- Open access to digitized historical documents about water and water management in Cuyo: magazines, technical reports, bulletins, maps, and so on. Right now there are 40 items available, including the complete collections of the publications Agua, Recursos Hídricos, Política Hídrica and Boletín Informativo. This archive is frequently updated and expanded.
- Research Projects and Technical Innovation Projects, some in the past, most still underway, carried out in partnership with various public and academic institutions.
- Open access scientific publications, the result of recent research by the Laboratory.
- Water Blog, a space for discussion and debate about contemporary challenges in water, environment, and society.
- Platforms for community interaction, where any person or group can share experiences, narratives, or knowledge about water in the region.
A Laboratory As A Crossway for Knowledge
“The lab is not just a space with technology, it is a meeting point between disciplines, trajectories, and institutions looking to reclaim knowledge of the waters of Cuyo, with a critical and collective viewpoint,” signals Facundo Martín, codirector of the project.
The Cuyo Waters Lab is a center for the production, circulation, and conservation of knowledge. Its objective is to generate awareness and knowledge of the history and management of water in a region profoundly affected by the water crisis and climate change.
What are Digital Environmental Humanities?
Digital Environmental Humanities combines digital technologies with history, culture, and the social sciences to study complex environmental processes. By means of digitization, data visualization, interactive cartography, and multimedia narratives, they aim to open up a new form of thinking about the relationship between nature and society.
This interdisciplinary focus offers a critical viewport on the challenges of the present, reclaiming the historical and cultural legacy of water as vital– not only a natural resource, but also a political, economic, and symbolic resource as well.
Contact: https://aguascuyanas.org/en/contacto/
Follow us:
IG: aguascuyanaslab
X: @AguasCuyanasLab
Bluesky: @aguascuyanaslab.bsky.social