Segovia Aqueduct

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About Segovia Aqueduct

The Aqueduct was built in the early 2nd century AD, at the end of Trajan’s reign or the start of Hadrian’s. It brought water to the city from the Fuenfría in the mountains, about 17 km away, and remained in use until 1973. The part everyone photographs is the arcade that crosses the Plaza del Azoguejo at the entrance to the old town.

There are 167 arches in total. The granite blocks are fitted together without mortar. At the highest section the structure reaches 28 m, with two tiers of arches on pillars that taper from bottom to top. At the top runs the U-shaped channel that carried the water.

In the 15th century, during the time of the Catholic Monarchs, 36 arches destroyed in 1072 were rebuilt, with pointed arches that are distinguishable from the Roman ones. The work was directed by Pedro Mesa, prior of the nearby monastery of El Parral. In the 16th century, the two upper niches received images of the Virgin and of Saint Sebastian; today the niche shows a replica and the original image is in the museum of the Casa de la Moneda.

A local legend says the devil raised the aqueduct in one night, in a pact with a girl tired of fetching water, and lost the bet when the rooster crowed before the last stone. A modern sculpture of a devil taking a selfie, by sculptor José Antonio Abella, stands on the Cuesta de San Juan beside it. The Aqueduct and the old town have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.