A levada (Portuguese for "led")'s an irrigation channel or aqueduct on the island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean (about southwest of Portugal). History 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's more conducive to habitation and agriculture (such as sugar cane production). In the sixteenth century the Portuguese started building levadas to carry water to the agricultural regions. The m… (More on Levada)