Human Use of the River and Bosque

Humans first arrived in what is now known as the Middle Rio Grande Valley 11,000 to 15,000 years ago, toward the end of the last ice age. Early inhabitants were hunters and gatherers, first hunting the now-extinct large mammals such as mammoths, tapirs and sloths and then modern animals. These early people moved up and down the valley and across the surrounding grasslands and foothills in search of food and other resources. Their low population densities and nomadic nature had minimal impact on the bosque. After agriculture was introduced to the valley around AD 400, people became sedentary and villages increased in size. Settlements concentrate along the river, which provided adequate water for their crops. These first farmers were the Ancestral Puebloans (formerly called Anasazi), whose descendants the Spanish later named the Pueblo Indians. The Ancestral Puebloans practiced floodwater farming, utilizing natural overbank flooding to irrigate drought-tolerant crops, rather than installing diversion structures. Hunting and gathering were still important to their subsistence, and impacts on the river and its bosque were minimal. An era of great population increase and development began in the Middle Rio Grande Valley around AD 1350.

• Follow this link to learn more about Human Use of the River and Bosque from 1540 to the 1800's.
• Follow this link to learn more about Human Use of the River and Bosque from 1800's to the present.
• Follow this link to learn more about Water Use.

The use of Rio Grande water is heavily governed by state, interstate, federal and international laws, agreements and regulations. The Treaty of 1906 between the United States and Mexico provides a minimum water delivery to Mexico, while the Rio Grande Compact, signed in 1938, allocates water among the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. All activities affecting water consumption must comply with these complex laws and regulations.