Abstract

PEREZ PINON, Francisco Alberto. Life stories linked to the Las Vírgenes dam. "The memories did not drown; they are still floating.". Debates hist. [online]. 2022, vol.10, n.1, pp.175-192.  Epub May 02, 2022. ISSN 2594-2956.  https://doi.org/10.54167/debates-por-la-historia.v10i1.859.

The Francisco I. Madero dam, known as Las Vírgenes, located in the Municipality of Rosales, Chihuahua, Mexico, is considered one of the most beautiful dams and the main irrigation system for agricultural and livestock fields in the region. This paper addresses the problem of the extraction of water in October 2020, due to the emptying of the dam to pay for the water debt to the US, following the treaty established in 1944. To write this paper, we dug into the memories of key informants to analyze the construction of their historical awareness from various temporalities, which go from the past to the present and converge in future expectations for the defense of the precious liquid. The theoretical approach is based on the history of the present time, using the past as a guide for current motivations and practices. Similarly, the paper addresses the origin of the inhabitants of that region, who descend from the original towns of Concho-Tapacolmes, as it is an important part of their identity.

Keywords : Las Vírgenes dam; history of the present time; historical awareness; narratives.