Saint Lazarus Aqueduct

You're now standing in front of the San Lázaro Aqueduct. It gets its name from a former hermitage nearby, once dedicated to Saint Lawrence, which was torn down in the 20th century. This is one of two aqueducts that brought water into the city before the more famous Aqueduct of Miracles was built. Back then, water was vital for the city's growth, used to create reservoirs and redirect natural springs toward the city, where the water was stored in towers and distributed through a system of pipes. You can still see traces of it today, for example in the Amphitheatre House, where there's a fascinating gargoyle shaped like a lion’s head that once poured water into a distribution tank. The first part of this aqueduct is over a kilometre long and ran underground, but it had access points so maintenance workers could go in and clean it. Most of the original Roman arches have been lost over time, only a few broken sections and three pillars, which you'll see further on, are still standing. What you’re looking at here is a complete aqueduct, but it's a Renaissance reconstruction. In the 16th century, the old Roman structure was in ruins, so builders reused the original stones to create a new one, and it’s still in use today. The arches were designed to let the wind pass through, helping prevent sudden collapses during storms. Just a few steps from here, you’ll come across the remains of a Roman bathhouse, known as the San Lázaro Baths. These date back to the early 2nd century and included a large changing room, a steam room, two hot pools, and a cold plunge. There was even an outdoor area for exercise that opened onto a big open-air swimming pool, a pretty impressive wellness complex. It stayed in use until the 3rd century. What’s always striking is how the Romans prioritised running water and hygiene, only for that progress to be completely forgotten during the notoriously unhygienic Middle Ages.