The goal of this article is to analyses the politicization of conflicts over water in Chile through an examination of a case study in the Petorca Province (located in the region of Valparaiso), and particularly the rise and trajectory of MODATIMA, which stands for the Movimiento por la Defensa del Agua, la Tierra y el Medioambiente (Movement for the Defence of Water, Land and the Environment). The main contributions of our analysis reveals: 1. The scope of the process of politicization of these types of conflicts and how it calls into question the current model of Chilean development. 2. The relationship between this politicization and the claims of other perspectives that attempt to understand water issues. 3. The link between the conflict over water and the processes of accumulation of capital by dispossession that are being experienced in Chile and globally.