Water and Society in a Spanish American City: Santiago de Guatemala, 1555-1773

Abstract

HE importance of urban life to the Spanish experience in the New World is reflected in the many studies of colonial Spanish American communities which have appeared in recent decades.' Municipal works and services in general have, however, attracted little detailed scholarly attention, although they obviously had a role in determining the nature and quality of urban lifeespecially in those towns which, over time, grew into important cities. One service in particular, the establishment and maintenance of a public water supply, was vital.2 It is certainly true that without water no city can live.3 But it is equally true that beyond this minimum prescription there are many possible levels of service. What one age, place, or social class accepts as adequate, another may not. Social, cultural, geographical,