Chapultepec aqueduct
Encyclopedia
The Chapultepec aqueduct (in ) is an aqueduct
originally built at Chapultepec
by the Aztec
s during the Tenochtitlan era; its original name was simply the “Great Aqueduct.” What remains of the aqueduct today is located in Mexico City
near Metro Sevilla
.
The project was started under the tlatoani
Chimalpopoca
and modified by Moctezuma I
. It consisted of a twin-pipe construction made of compacted earth and wood; when one pipe needed maintenance, the water flowed through the other. Where it crossed Lake Texcoco
, the aqueduct was raised above the water level to allow canoes to pass. While the Tenochtitlan rulers ordered the building of the aqueduct, it was Nezahualcoyotl
from Texcoco who was the engineer, as he was for a number of other engineering feats in the Valley of Mexico
.
Almost 100 years later, the Aztec aqueduct was replaced under the reigning viceroy Fernando de Alencáster, Duke of Linares (1711-1716) and was known as the Chapultepec Aqueduct or the Aqueduct of Belen because of the old Belen convent it passed by. It was also to supply the city with fresh water from the springs in Chapultepec. The aqueduct passed through what is now Chapultepec Avenue and Arcos de Belen (Arches of Belen) Street, and was about four kilometers long with 904 arches. Only a small section, about twenty-two arches long, still survives today, on Chapultepec Avenue near Metro Sevilla.
Also surviving are two fountains associated with the aqueduct. The first is found wedged between Chapultepec Park
and Metro Chapultepec
. Constructed by viceroy Marquis de las Armarillas, this fountain was designed to divert a portion of the water to this zone as well as be decorative. However, it is no longer in its original location: it was cleaned up, enlarged and moved to its current location by Roberto Alvarez Espinoza in 1921. The other fountain is Salto del Agua
which lies in its original location, at the intersection of Eje Central
and Arcos de Belen Street, where the historic center meets Colonia Doctores
and Colonia Obrera
. While it is at the original location, it is not the original fountain. The original fountain had deteriorated badly, and a reproduction was made by Guillermo Ruiz. The remains of the original are on display at the Museo Nacional del Virreinato in Tepotzotlán
.
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
originally built at Chapultepec
Chapultepec
Chapultepec Park, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" in Mexico City, is the largest city park in Latin America, measuring in total just over 686 hectares. Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of the park's main functions is to be an ecological space in the vast...
by the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
s during the Tenochtitlan era; its original name was simply the “Great Aqueduct.” What remains of the aqueduct today is located in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
near Metro Sevilla
Metro Sevilla
Sevilla is a station on Line 1 the Mexico City Metro. It is located in the Cuauhtémoc borough in the centre of Mexico City, on Avenida Chapultepec and Sevilla street. It serves colonias Roma and Juárez.The station logo depicts an aqueduct...
.
The project was started under the tlatoani
Tlatoani
Tlatoani is the Nahuatl term for the ruler of an altepetl, a pre-Hispanic state. The word literally means "speaker", but may be translated into English as "king". A is a female ruler, or queen regnant....
Chimalpopoca
Chimalpopoca
Chimalpopoca was the third king of Tenochtitlan .-Rule:On the day of Chimalpopoca's coronation in 1417 , his brother Tlacaelel I was named high priest...
and modified by Moctezuma I
Moctezuma I
Moctezuma I , also known as Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina, Huehuemotecuhzoma or Montezuma I , was the fifth Aztec emperor - king of Tenochtitlan...
. It consisted of a twin-pipe construction made of compacted earth and wood; when one pipe needed maintenance, the water flowed through the other. Where it crossed Lake Texcoco
Lake Texcoco
Lake Texcoco was a natural lake formation within the Valley of Mexico. The Aztecs built the city of Tenochtitlan on an island in the lake. The Spaniards built Mexico City over Tenochtitlan...
, the aqueduct was raised above the water level to allow canoes to pass. While the Tenochtitlan rulers ordered the building of the aqueduct, it was Nezahualcoyotl
Nezahualcoyotl
Nezahualcoyotl was a philosopher, warrior, architect, poet and ruler of the city-state of Texcoco in pre-Columbian Mexico...
from Texcoco who was the engineer, as he was for a number of other engineering feats in the Valley of Mexico
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
.
Colonial aqueduct
Shortly after the Spanish Conquest, Hernan Cortes set about dividing up land among the conquistadors. He wanted to take the forest of Chapultepec for himself, but Charles V denied him this and decreed that it and the springs needed to provide Mexico City with potable water would become property of the city itself.Almost 100 years later, the Aztec aqueduct was replaced under the reigning viceroy Fernando de Alencáster, Duke of Linares (1711-1716) and was known as the Chapultepec Aqueduct or the Aqueduct of Belen because of the old Belen convent it passed by. It was also to supply the city with fresh water from the springs in Chapultepec. The aqueduct passed through what is now Chapultepec Avenue and Arcos de Belen (Arches of Belen) Street, and was about four kilometers long with 904 arches. Only a small section, about twenty-two arches long, still survives today, on Chapultepec Avenue near Metro Sevilla.
Also surviving are two fountains associated with the aqueduct. The first is found wedged between Chapultepec Park
Chapultepec
Chapultepec Park, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" in Mexico City, is the largest city park in Latin America, measuring in total just over 686 hectares. Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of the park's main functions is to be an ecological space in the vast...
and Metro Chapultepec
Metro Chapultepec
Chapultepec is a station on the Mexico City Metro. It is located in the Cuauhtémoc borough in the centre of Mexico City.The station logo depicts a grasshopper . The station's name comes from the Bosque de Chapultepec, a large nearby park that contains a hill with the same name. Chapultepec...
. Constructed by viceroy Marquis de las Armarillas, this fountain was designed to divert a portion of the water to this zone as well as be decorative. However, it is no longer in its original location: it was cleaned up, enlarged and moved to its current location by Roberto Alvarez Espinoza in 1921. The other fountain is Salto del Agua
Metro Salto del Agua
Metro Salto del Agua is a metro station on the Mexico City Metro. It is located in the Cuauhtémoc borough in the centre of Mexico City....
which lies in its original location, at the intersection of Eje Central
Eje Central
The Eje Central is part of a system of roadways built by Carlos Hank González to make Mexico City more automobile-friendly....
and Arcos de Belen Street, where the historic center meets Colonia Doctores
Colonia Doctores
Colonia Doctores is an official neighborhood just southwest of the historic center of Mexico City. It is bordered by Avenida Cuauhtémoc to the west, Arcos de Belen Street to the north, Eje Central to the east and Eje 3 Sur José Peón Contreras to the south....
and Colonia Obrera
Colonia Obrera
Colonia Obrera is an administrative neighborhood of the borough of Cuauhtémoc in the center of Mexico City. It was established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and became home to many artisans and industrial workmen...
. While it is at the original location, it is not the original fountain. The original fountain had deteriorated badly, and a reproduction was made by Guillermo Ruiz. The remains of the original are on display at the Museo Nacional del Virreinato in Tepotzotlán
Tepotzotlán
Tepotzotlán is a city and a municipality in the Mexico state of Mexico. It is located 115 km northeast of Mexico City about a 45-minute drive along the Mexico City-Querétaro at marker number 41. In Aztec times, the area was the center of a dominion that negotiated to keep most of its...
.