Amoreira Aqueduct

The Amoreira Aqueduct is the most spectacular piece of engineering in Elvas and one of the longest aqueducts in the Iberian Peninsula. It carries water about seven kilometres from a spring at Amoreira, north of the town, into the centre of the fortress, and in the final section the arches rise to a great height, dominating the surroundings. The structure has more than eight hundred arches, and in its tallest part, where it crosses a valley, it has several tiers of arches, one above another, reaching over thirty metres. Seen from a distance, the long procession of pale stone arches across the plain is one of the most memorable images of the Alentejo.

The need for the aqueduct was clear. Elvas stood on a hill, close to a frontier that was often at war, and the town had few reliable sources of water inside its walls. In times of siege, a garrison and a population of thousands needed a secure supply. Work began in 1498, in the reign of King Manuel I, and the first design is associated with the architect Francisco de Arruda, who also designed the Belém Tower, but the project was long, expensive, and often interrupted, and it was not finished until 1622, more than a century later. The cost was met by local taxes and by the efforts of the town's people, and the result was a source of great civic pride.

The construction is simple and sturdy. The arches are built of local stone and mortar, with the lower sections made of small arches and the upper section using larger ones, and buttresses at intervals give support. Inside the top of the structure runs a channel that carried the water by gravity toward the town, ending at a fountain in the Largo de Santa Clara, where water was distributed to the residents. The aqueduct was in use for centuries, and it remained part of the water system into the modern period.

Visitors can walk or drive along parts of the route and see the arches from below, and the best views are from the road to the north of town. The aqueduct is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications, together with the walls and forts. Allow an hour, and bring a camera for the late afternoon, when the stone glows. Combine it with the walls and the Santa Luzia and Graça forts.