Morelia Aqueduct , one of the most representative architectural elements of the city of Morelia
Summary
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- 1 Description
- 2 History
- 3 Backbone of the city
- 1 Expert Eye
- 2 Gallery
- 4 Sources
Description
The Aqueduct was in operation until 1910. It is about 1700 meters long and has 253 arches that reach a height of almost 8 meters at its highest point. In 1997 it underwent a comprehensive restoration, and later stage lighting was installed. Currently the Aqueduct is an important tourist attraction of the city and has become an architectural icon of Morelia.
History
Before the current structure of the Aqueduct was founded, there were three other buildings that due to the weakness of the materials that constituted them, had to be repaired on different occasions until they reached the current work built with quarry, which is consistent with the rest of the buildings. from the Historic Center of the city.
The city’s first aqueduct was built in 1549 with a wooden structure, tile roof and carved trunks like “canoes” that carried the water. Later, at the end of the 16th century , its structure was replaced by one made with lime and stone that lasted until the beginning of the 18th century , when it began to be replaced by quarry by order of the sixteenth Bishop of Michoacán, Manuel de Escalante Colombres and Mendoza.
In the year 1784 a part of the then Aqueduct collapsed and the city was left without drinking water supply. The twenty-fifth bishop of Michoacán, Fray Antonio de San Miguel, was the one who started in 1785 the construction of the current aqueduct, thus solving the lack of water in the city and generating employment.
Backbone of the city
Its construction began in pink quarry in 1728 , under the direction of the Bishop of Michoacán, Fray Antonio de San Miguel. In its 1,700 meters long, there are 253 semicircular arches, but we can only see 234, because the rest is underground. It reaches a height of almost 10 meters and has two water boxes. It is one of the most representative architectural elements in the city.
Expert Eye
- The Aqueduct brought water from a higher area of the city, so the highest arches are, in fact, where it ends.
- The structure went through several phases before having its characteristic quarry appearance. First it was improvised with wooden posts, which gave way to another type of construction based on lime and stone.
- In the early twentieth century, it was used as a fence to place advertisements.
- The original quarry structure is the most preserved in the Mexican aqueducts. Currently its appearance is fully restored, since in past decades it was even buried by sections due to paving.