The Roman Aqua Vetus of Córdoba

The aqueduct of Valdepuentes, also known as Aqua Vetus or Aqua Augusta, was once one of three aqueducts that supplied water to the Roman city of Corduba. Today, it is a protected monument with cultural interest. During the reign of Emperor Augustus, the expansion of Corduba made it necessary to build an aqueduct for public water supply, which until then had been provided by underground aquifers drilled through numerous wells.

The first aqueduct was named Aqua Augusta and later, after the construction of the second aqueduct, it became known as Aqua Vetus. While descriptions of preserved aqueducts in the surroundings appeared in the 18th and 19th centuries, their origins were often debated. However, the existence of some remains of lead conduits, gutters, sewers, and other features pointed to a Roman origin, a fact finally confirmed by epigraphic evidence found in the last quarter of the 20th century. The conduit captured water mainly from the area of Santa María de Trassierra, including the arroyo del Bejarano, caño de la Escarabita, and Veneros de Vallehermoso.

The canal (specus) was constructed in opus caementicium with an interior lining of opus signinum and had a section of 90x64 cm with walls 30-40 cm thick. It was covered by a barrel vault with a 30 cm inner radius. The work features a system of more than 40 water wells (spiramina) used to reduce water velocity on the mountain slope. In the medieval period, it was reused to supply water to the palatine city of Medinat al-Zahra. Today, a fragment of 2.5 m in length, belonging to a long section of more than 70 m, is preserved by the Ayuntamiento in a garden area next to the Santa Beatriz roundabout.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons