Aqueduct Los Arcos (The Arcs) in Teruel (Spain)

Teruel in the 1200s. Diego and Isabel were madly in love with each other, but their romance was doomed unless he could prove himself worthy to her father. Diego convinced this Don Pedro to give him five years to make his fortune and return triumphant. He promised Isabel he would come back for her. Isabel waited those five years for Diego, yet never heard a word from him. Don Pedro wasted no time in arranging a marriage for his daughter, which was held the very next day. Although he would enter the city gates of Teruel laden with gold, Diego was devastated when he learned that Isabel had already gotten married. Heartbroken, he came to Isabel’s quarters at night, “kiss me, for I am dying”. Isabel refused, saying that she was now a married woman, and Diego died at her feet. The next day at the funeral, Isabel pushed back the coffin’s veil, kissing Diego and giving him in death the kiss she had denied him in life. Instantly she died, embracing the body of her deceased lover.

Legend of the Teruel Lovers

Acueducto del Águila (Eagle Aqueduct) across the Barranco de la Coladilla in Nerja, Málaga (Spain)

According to a legend, a worker was finishing to put the shaped eagle on top of the aqueduct when he fell through the cracks. Still nowdays, if someone is placed under the aqueduct can still hear, from the emptiness, the the worker's cry.

Legend of Nerja

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct over the Dee River between Trevor and Pontcysyllte, Wales (United Kingdom) painted by Alan Firth

Situated in north-eastern Wales, the 18 kilometre long Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal is a feat of civil engineering of the Industrial Revolution, completed in the early years of the 19th century. Covering a difficult geographical setting, the building of the canal required substantial, bold civil engineering solutions, especially as it was built without using locks. The aqueduct is a pioneering masterpiece of engineering and monumental metal architecture, conceived by the celebrated civil engineer Thomas Telford. The use of both cast and wrought iron in the aqueduct enabled the construction of arches that were light and d strong, producing an overall effect that is both monumental and elegant.

Pontcysyllte aqueduct and canal

described as UNESCO World Heritage Site

San Lázaro Aqueduct in Mérida, Badajoz (Spain)

«...acabada esta guerra, Augusto licenció a los más veteranos de sus soldados, y les permitió fundar una ciudad en Lusitania y llamarla Augusta Emerita...»

Dion Casio

roman senator, III century AC

Aqueduct of Santa Lucía in Morella, Castellón (Spain)

Entre Tortosa y Castellón ufana,
elevase una villa populosa:
un tiempo allí moró hueste africana
hasta que un día la altivez cristiana
se alzó sobre sus muros victoriosa.

Excerpt from El Caudillo de Morella

Ramón N. Cabrera

Aqueduct of Santa Lucía in Morella, Castellón (Spain)

Pont du Gard over the river Gardon in Nimes, Gard (France)

Sur le pont du Gard un bal y est donné.

Adèle demande à sa mère d'y aller.

"Non, non, ma fille tu n'iras pas danser." 

Monte à sa chambre et se met à pleurer. 

Son frère arrive dans un bateau doré. 

"Ma soeur, ma soeur qu'as tu donc à pleurer ?" 

"Ma mère n'veut pas que j'aille au bal danser." 

"Mets ta belle robe et ta ceinture dorée, 

Et nous irons tous deux au bal danser." 

La première danse, le pied lui a tourné. 

La deuxième danse, le pont s'est écroulé. 

Les cloches du Gard se mirent à sonner. 

La mère demande pour qui les cloches sonnaient. 

"C'est pour Adèle et votre fils aïné." 

Voilà le sort des enfants obstinés. 

Chanson by Guy Béart

San Antón Aqueduct in Plasencia, Cáceres (Spain)

Plasencia: para expresarte

lo deliciosa que eres,

bastaba con recordarte

tus bellísimas mujeres,

tus maravillas del arte.

Plasencia: tu historia honrosa

me ha dicho que eres gloriosa,

y mis ojos al mirarte

me dicen que eres hermosa,

que eres digna de cantarte.

José María Gabriel y Galán

Los Milagros Aqueduct in Mérida, Badajoz (Spain)

Mérida is symbolic of the process of Romanization in a land that had hitherto not been influenced by the urban phenomenon. It contains the substantial remains of a number of important elements of Roman town design, considered to be one of the finest surviving examples of its type; the aqueducts and other elements of Roman water management are also especially well preserved and complete.

Mérida described as
UNESCO World Heritage Site

Roman aqueduct in Segovia (Spain) painted by Mornay

Te elevó Trajano, copa inmensurable;

te elevó Trajano, copa gigantesca;

no te hizo redonda cual vaso de cíclopes;

sobre mil columnas te tendió soberbia.

Estás recostada sobre íntercolumnios

que vienen andando su marcha de leguas,

y elevas tu cauce cual seno grandioso

por el que incesante corre el agua eterna

Salvador Rueda

Ruins of the Zaghouan Roman Aqueduct between Zaghouan and Carthage (Tunis)

Excelso monte do el romano estrago

eterna mostrará vuestra memoria;

soberbios edificios do la gloria

aún resplandece de la gran Cartago;

desierta playa, que apacible lago

lleno fuiste de triunfos y victoria;

despedazados mármoles, historia

en quien se ve cuál es del mundo el pago;

arcos, anfiteatros, baños, templo,

que fuistes edificios celebrados

y agora apenas vemos las señales;

gran remedio a mi mal es vuestro ejemplo:

que si del tiempo fuistes derribados,

el tiempo derribar podrá mis males.

Al Monte donde fue Cartago
Gutierre de Cetina (1520, 1557)

Roman Aqueduct in the ruins of Cartaghe (Tunis)

"Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse"

"Furthermore, I am of the opinion that Cartaghe must be destroyed."

Marco Porcio Catón

Roman aqueduct in Segovia (Spain)

A little girl every day walked until the top of a mountain to bring down a bucket of fresh water. One day, tired of her daily duty, made a wish to the devil in which he asked to build some means to avoid her to go up every day and carry down the bucket. Then, at night the devil appeared to him and gave him the desire to change that. If he could finish the aqueduct before the cock crowed the girl would have to give her soul in return. The girl agreed and the devil began building the aqueduct, and the girl was sorry he had so wished. Just when only a stone was left to finish the aqueduct the cock crowed, which caused the devil to lose the bet and the girl did not lose his soul. In the gap remained is where the statue of the Virgin of Fuencisla is now placed.

Legend about the Segovia Aqueduct

Acueducto del Águila (Eagle Aqueduct) across the Barranco de la Coladilla in Nerja, Málaga (Spain)

Tendido sobre alfombras de mágicos colores mientras el dulce sueño mis párpados cerraba, Naricha; mi Naricha brotando entre flores con todas sus bellezas mi vista recreaba”

Ibn Saadi about Nerja

Roman aqueduct in Segovia (Spain)

Alma de luz, Segovia. Tierra erguida

que por el aire, desterrada, vuela.

El horizonte otea, centinela,

tu hosca piedra grajera y encendida.

Jaime Ferrán

Roman aqueduct in Segovia (Spain)

Ser siempre, perdurar. Obra de manos

guiadas por amor de geometría,

de cauce exacto para el agua fría

en fría piedra. Obra de romanos.

Ojos celestes y, a la par, humanos

ceñidos por escueta geometría,

de materia resuelta en teoría. 

Mirador de horizontes castellanos.

Ingravidez aérea, ternura

maciza, sin acaso, sin defecto.

Crisol en el que el oro se depura

Vicente Gaos

Aqueduct in Pedraza, Segovia (Spain)

Elvira and Roberto, lovers who lived in the town of Pedraza, were killed by the lord of the castle, who was infatuated with Elvira. Today, those sleeping at the castle, which belongs to the Paradores of Spain network, report having seen two mysterious figures roaming its passages whose heads are lit by a crown of fire.

Legend of Pedraza

Aqueduct on the Shaoshan Irrigation Canal, Hunan (China)

"In time of difficulties we must no loose sight of our achievements."

Mao Tsetung

Aqueduct of Estimariu in Ripoll, Girona (Spain)

"Belles muntanyes del Pirineu, voreres encisadores del Ter, claustre encantat de Ripoll, carrers ombrívols de Ribes, adéu-siau! Jo guardaré sempre al fons del meu cor, en les més amagades fibres de les meves entranyes, una recordança d’amor envers vosaltres, jo conservaré gravades les vostres imatges en el meu esperit com un dels records més preuats de la meya jovenesa, com un dels somnis més agradosos de la meva vida, com una suau aroma del meu amor a la pàtria i a l’art."

Santiago Rusiñol

Pont de les Ferreres near Tarragona (Spain)

... de todas las ciudades que uno puede elegir para el descanso es ésta la más agradable... tienes una gente buena, frugal, que no te acoge rápidamente, pero que es reflexivamente hospitalaria. El clima mezcla y confunde, de una manera única, todas las estaciones, y el año entero parece una constante primavera...

Lucio Aneo Floro

about ancient roman Tarraco