If we understand Heritage in a broad sense, not only limited to architectural and monumental heritage, but as the sum of values and resources, it is clear that the Segura River is a fundamental asset of Archena. It represents the water that has allowed human settlements for millennia and has given the Ricote Valley its uniqueness and the contrasts of its landscape between the orchards of the irrigated lands and the desert of the dry lands and the limestone surrounding mountains.
The river flows relatively fast down to the Ojós reservoir, which regulates the waters of the Tajo-Segura transfer, taking advantage of the narrowing of the Solvente, which corresponds to the eastern slope of the Sierra de Ricote. The small market gardens of Ulea and Villanueva extend as far as the Baños de Archena. From here, the valley widens more and more and the orchards of Algaida, Lorquí, Ceutí, Alguazas, Las Torres de Cotillas and Molina de Segura follow one after the other. This is the sector traditionally called Vega Alta, in which the profile of the river is broken by steps that correspond to narrowings and which reaches the Azud de la Contraparada, (a work carried out by the Romans) where the Vega Media begins.
It has been sufficiently demonstrated that Archena was an important enclave in Roman times, most probably with the status of municipality, and that it was included in the important network of Roman roads. Specifically, the one that left from Cartagena was on the right bank of the Segura River (the Roman Thader), so it is reasonable to think that there was a bridge to cross to the Baths and all the villas that were in the vicinity. So far no remains of this hypothetical bridge have been found.
But the culture that has shaped the essence of the entire Ricote Valley has undoubtedly been Muslim. Even today it is clear to any visitor that it was the Moors who shaped the current landscape of the Vega. The Vega had been densely populated, albeit sparsely, until the 13th century. After the Castilian conquest and the frequent war skirmishes typical of a frontier kingdom, the population dwindled considerably until the 15th century. The scarce population of Archena in the 14th century, all of them Mudejar, worked esparto grass and flax and boiled it in the river, which provoked protests from the council of Murcia, whose residents had to drink the dirty water that flowed downstream. Already at that time the irrigation channels were carefully maintained and conserved. At least as early as 1377, the main irrigation channel of Alguazas (which rises in the municipality of Archena) was in operation, while in 1415 we have news of a restoration of the main channel of Archena, which rises in Villanueva, which was used to irrigate the land to the right of the river.
Throughout the 15th century an important civil work was carried out, the aqueduct of La Rambla, located between the municipalities of Archena and Ulea. In 1628 another work of great importance was undertaken: the change of course of the main irrigation channel. The water from the irrigation channel ran through the mountains of El Balneario (Cabezo del Ciervo) to what is known today as La Cerca, through wooden channels. This system meant a great loss of water and carried little flow for the land that needed to be irrigated, so it was decided to build the mine (deep tunnel) from the well of La Morra to La Cerca (between the Castillo and Ope mountains) to meet the irrigation channel again; it is a real work of engineering, worthy of being visited. In this century, there was already an inheritance that was distributed to the landowners through the council according to the number of tahullas they owned.
The irrigation channels of Archena had numerous waterwheels and other devices for raising water, which in the 18th century populated the huerta (market gardens). The five that have come down to us are of later construction; initially they were built with pine wood to waterproof their buckets and preserve their structure from rotting. Later, at the end of the 19th century, iron was added to their structure. Some waterwheels, in order to make the most of the water, incorporated masonry walls to prevent the wind from carrying the liquid out of the drainage channel. The waterwheels that still exist in Archena were declared Sites of Cultural Interest in 1982 and have recently been restored.
We cannot leave the river without mentioning the boat that for centuries was used to cross it and whose quay was very close to the current bridge. It was the most important property owned by the council, due to its lucrative annual lease. It was frequently put out of service by the river’s floods, which meant that the people of this town suffered considerable damage as they were unable to cross to the other side for traffic, mail and the cultivation of the farms on the other side of the river.