Los embalses españoles de época moderna y sus implicaciones sobre el paisaje: el recrecimiento del pantano de Almansa (1769-1789)

From the end of the 16th century to the middle of the 17th century, the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula experienced a unique process of technical innovation that resulted in the construction of irrigation dams. The reservoirs, with unknown dimensions in Europe, generated great expectations among the local societies that promoted their construction. The results, however, were more modest and did not achieve the radical transformations of the agricultural landscape that were initially assumed. Under the auspices of the monarchy, during the second half of the eighteenth century, new dams were projected. The regrowth of the old dams was also promoted, with mixed results. The article talks about the example of the Almansa reservoir, a pioneer dam (1586) and with a successful regrowth (1788). The changes in the landscape caused by these reservoirs and the hopes for their improvements at the end of the 18th century are valued.