Aqueduct of the Padre Tembleque
The Aqueduct of the Padre Tembleque ( Spanish Acueducto del Padre Tembleque ) in Mexico is considered to be the most important water supply and distribution system that was built in the viceroyalty of New Spain in the 16th century .
The 45 km long system was used to collect water from the slopes of the Tecajete volcano ( ) and to bring it in a canal to the Congregación de Todos los Santos , 6 km further west, today's Zempoala in the state of Hidalgo ( ). Another canal led the water to Otompan , 30 km further south as the crow flies , today's Otumba in the state of México ( ). Small branches supplied the villages along the way. The canals were mostly at ground level, but also underground, and crossed streams and other cuts in the terrain.
In addition to various distribution basins and ditches, the aqueducts in particular have been preserved today . The one at the Hacienda de Tecajete ( ) is over 300 m long and consists of 46 stone arches. Further south at the former Hacienda de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Arcos San Gabriel Azteka , an approximately 120 m long structure with 13 arches crosses a small reservoir ( ). The short Arco de Acelotla ( ) is hidden in a stream bed. The largest is the Tepeyahualco aqueduct , which crosses a small river, a railway line and the border between Hidalgo and México near the town of the same name ( ). It is 904 m long and consists of 67 arches with spans of 17 m each. With a height of 38.75 m above the river bed, it is one of the highest aqueducts in the world with one floor. There are also two arches in Otumba.
The system was planned by Father Francisco de Tembleque (1510–1590), a Franciscan from the Spanish town of Tembleque , who came as a missionary to the arid Otumba. In order to improve the situation of the poor population, he promised the Congregación de Todos los Santos a water pipe if they would allow him to lead water from the Tecajete to Otumba. The water pipes were built between 1553 and 1570 under his planning with the help of the residents of the villages along the way.
The Padre Tembleque aqueduct was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015 .
Web links
- Support association website (Spanish)
- Website of the World Heritage Center of UNESCO (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque . ( Memento from April 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) From the earlier Unesco World Heritage Tentative List
- ^ Fray Francisco de Tembleque. ( Memento of February 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) on the Zempoala website
- ↑ Gallery: WHC 2015 - Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque, Hydraulic System (Mexico) on Unesco.org
Map with all coordinates: 
Heritage: Historic Center of Mexico City and Xochimilco (1987) | Pre-Columbian City and National Park of Palenque (1987) | Pre-Columbian city of Teotihuacán (1987) | Old town of Oaxaca and ruins of Monte Albán (1987) | Historic Center of Puebla (1987) | Guanajuato Historic Center and Mines (1988) | Pre-Columbian city of Chichén Itzá (1988) | Old Town of Morelia (1991) | Pre-Columbian city of El Tajín (1992) | Old town of Zacatecas (1993) | Rock carvings in the Sierra de San Francisco (1993) | Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl (1994) | Pre-Columbian city of Uxmal (1996) | Querétaro monument ensemble (1996) | Cabañas Hospice in Guadalajara (1997) | Monument area of Tlacotalpan (1998) | Archaeological sites of Paquimé in Casas Grandes (1998) | Xochicalco Archaeological Site (1999) | Historic city and fortress of Campeche (1999) | Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda (2003) | Luís Barragán's house and studio (2004) | Agave landscape and historical tequila production sites (2006) | University campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (2007) | Fortified town of San Miguel de Allende and the pilgrimage church of Jesús de Nazareno in Atotonilco (2008) | Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (2010) | Prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Oaxaca Valley (2010) | Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque (2015)
Natural heritage: Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (1987) | El Vizcaíno lagoon - whale shelter (1993) | Islands and Protected Areas in the Gulf of California (2005) | Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve (2008) | El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve (2013) | Revillagigedo Archipelago (2016)
Cultural / natural heritage: Mayan city of Calakmul and tropical rainforests in Campeche (2002)