Albercas (water tanks) are structures used to store water. They are dug into the ground, by creating a small dam in the watercourse, or built with bricks (the most sophisticated ones) and are generally used for irrigation.
They are a technical resource for irrigation through a network of irrigation channels following the Al-Andalus model. Alberca is a word derived from the Hispanic Arabic albírka, which in turn comes from the classical Arabic brikah, dating back to the 13th century.
Both the Arabs and the Moors who populated La Alpujarra knew how to manage the water resources of the mountainous environment. A complex network of irrigation channels allows water from the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada to be used to irrigate the terraced fields. Some of these irrigation channels are large and long, and carried water from one slope to another.
