aqueductThe aqueduct of Segovia is one of the greatest and most significant surviving monuments of the Roman engineering in Spain. It is the key symbol of Segovia, to the point in which it is present on the city’s coat of arms.

Since there is a lack of a legible inscription, which was located in the attic, the date of construction cannot be definitively determined. Researchers have placed it between the second half of the 1st century and the beginning of the 2nd century, during the reign of either the Emperor Vespasian or Nerva.

The aqueduct leads its waters from the Fuente Fría spring, situated in the nearby mountain range some 17 kilometers far from the city in a region known as La Acebeda. It covers another 15 kilometers before arriving in the city.

At its deepest point, the aqueduct reaches a height of 28.5 meters (including nearly 6 meters of foundation) and has arches which are supported by pillars. In total, there are 167 arches.

It was built by means of granite ashlars which are unmortared. During the Roman era, each of the three tallest arches displayed a sign in bronze letters, where the name of its builder along with the date of construction appeared.

Also, in the top we can see two niches, one on each side of the aqueduct. One of them is known to have held the image of the Egyptian Hercules, who according to a legend was the founder of the city. Nowadays, on these two niches we can see the image of the Virgen de la Fuencisla (Patroness saint of the city) and Saint Stephen.

The aqueduct is the key architectural landmark of the city. It had been kept working during centuries and because of that it is well-preserved. Recently, it used to provide water to Segovia, specifically to the Segovia Alcazar.

In recent years, the aqueduct has deteriorated quite a bit due to pollution (heaters and cars that used to pass by its arches) and the natural erosion of the granite. Contrary to popular belief, vibrations caused by the traffic do not affect the aqueduct due to its great mass and inertia.

In order to guarantee its preservation some eight-year-old restoration projects (supervised by the architect Francisco Jurado) and, at the same time, the traffic in the area has been re-routed.

In 2004, a curious initiative took place in order to spread the aqueduct everywhere. An engineer from Segovia, known as Miguel Angel Rubio Garci