Aceñas del Campo de Cartagena (Región de Murcia) representadas en los Bosquejos planimétricos (1898-1901): identificación, distribución y supervivencia

The limited studies on the waterwheels (aceñas) of the Campo de Cartagena (Region of Murcia, Spain) have focused on their historical, typological and construction analysis, also considering their state of preservation and heritage value. Having accredited their representation in the Planimetric sketches of the IGE (1898-1901), this research, for the first time, identifies them at this early moment and studies their architecture, distribution and survival, in addition to their relationship with the underground water resources of the region. To achieve this, geospatial analysis of the mentioned cartography and historical and current orthophotographs (PNOA), as well as the known hydrogeological information, has been carried out using GIS and HGIS. This is further complemented by fieldwork for data and image collection and office work for bibliographical, documentary, and statistical analysis. The results demonstrate that it was one of the areas with the highest number of waterwheels in Spain, with 480 identified, concentrated in its northern sector, which had the best conditions for accessing the resources of the Quaternary superficial aquifer. Furthermore, a tragic survival rate has been confirmed, with only 14% of the documented waterheels still standing. This represents a sad loss of heritage, as these waterwheels were key resources of the region’s hydraulic culture.