Levada do Moinho in Porto Moniz, Madeira is one of the many levadas on Madeira island. In Madeira, the levadas originated out of the necessity of bringing large amounts of water from the west and northwest of the island to the drier southeast, which is more conducive to habitation and agriculture, such as sugar cane production. They were used in the past also by women to wash clothes in areas where running water to homes was not available. The idea of this style of water channel was brought to Portugal by the Moors during the time of al-Andalus. Similar examples can still be found in Iberia, such as some Acequias in Spain. In the sixteenth century the Portuguese started building levadas to carry water to the agricultural regions. The most recent were made in the 1940s. Madeira is very mountainous, and building the levadas was often difficult. Many are cut into the sides of mountains, and it was also necessary to dig 16 miles of tunnels on the island. This hiking trail adjacent to the Levada is on the main road to Porto Moniz and is easily assessable. The Levadas of Madeira are on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
