El Acueducto

Before coming on this trip, one of the only things we students knew about the city of Segovia was that it was the site of a landmark aqueduct, one of the oldest, most significant, and best-preserved monuments left by the Romans on the Iberian Peninsula. It is the city's top tourist attraction and its foremost symbol as evidenced by its presence on Segovia's coat of arms. Coincidentally, the first fact we learned about the place we would be spending the next three weeks, turned out to be the first place we stopped when we had arrived. And what before we had only read about on Wikipedia, we can now recite to you our own knowledge and interpretation of this incredible structure.

Today, we began our tour at the far end of the Acueducto. Not where it stands at picture perfect height in the center of the azoguejo, or central market, but a couple minutes walk uphill, where the stones are stacked only a few inches above my head. This superb work of construction held together not by mortar, but by the laws of physics, was built as a means to transport water to the area, and consequently is the reason for Segovia's existence. The water transportation structure actually begins in a region known as La Acebeda, collecting water from the Fuente Fría River some 17 kilometers from the city. After first being gathered in El Caserón, or Big Tank, then led to a second tower called the Casa de Aguas (Waterhouse), the water travels on a one percent grade toward Plaza Azoguejo as the arches continue to grow in length and soon start to pile on top of one another. Although it is an astounding view from the ground at its full height, what is even more amazing is being able to view it up close.

As we walked up a set of steps to stand on the water bridge, we could see far down the canal whose pin straight edges created a perfect line that extended toward the horizon. Small black holes stood out on the gray bricks and marked the use of a type of pliers that the Romans used to place them. Every single stone was cubed and placed in its precise location held there by the force of gravity pushing on the mathematically sound structure dreamed up by the men of Rome. It was almost too hard to believe that as we were walking atop the gray stone, it was only the equal and opposite reactions proposed by Newton, the opposition between the pull of our feet and the push of the pillars below us that keep us from falling away.



In its entire two thousand years of existence, the Roman Aqueduct has kept the city of Segovia alive. First, it provided the essential transportation of water to the entire population. And now it serves as a highly targeted tourist attraction whose presence is vital to maintain the flow of people in and out of the city and to furnish Segovia's economy. And after touring the aqueduct today, I feel like an important part of the two thousand year success of this city, for without my being there, the power of the aqueduct to aid the Segovian people, would be one less visitor strong.