Water has shaped life and diversity in La Alpujarra for centuries, a legacy of the Al-Andalus period. Originating from the melting snow of Sierra Nevada, it is channelled through a network of waterways that not only slow down, store and distribute the flow, but have also given rise to the typical Alpujarra landscape.

Along the course of the Poqueira River there are albercas (water tanks), and the water that seeps into the upper part of the valleys supplies sources of fresh, pure water. But there are also sour springs with dissolved iron minerals that give the water a reddish colour.

The water tanks serve as water storage facilities to be used for irrigation throughout the year, especially during the summer months. The network of irrigation channels, dug into the ground or carried by urban waterways, allows water to reach the crops.