Puente Ariza, Renaissance bridge in Úbeda, Spain.

Puente Ariza is a stone bridge spanning the Guadalimar River with five barrel vaults built during the Renaissance period. The central arch shows distinctive geometric proportions and was constructed with considerable technical skill.

Built between 1550 and 1560 to a design by Andrés de Vandelvira, master of stonework and architect of Jaén Cathedral, it was paid for by Bishop Diego de los Cobos y Molina because it carried the main road between Úbeda and the Meseta. A repair in 1868 rebuilt the cutwaters poorly and lowered the humped profile. In the 1980s a second arch was inserted beneath one of the side arches to buttress the piers, and since 1998 the Giribaile reservoir has left it out of use.

The bridge carried the old CC-3217 road linking Úbeda and Arquillos, the main route between Úbeda and the Meseta, which is why Bishop Diego de los Cobos y Molina paid for it. Its five arches and cut-stone masonry made it a landmark on that road until the Giribaile reservoir flooded it in 1998.

The structure lies submerged under the Giribaile Reservoir and is normally not accessible, though it becomes visible during severe drought conditions. Visitors should check local conditions before traveling to see if viewing is possible at that time.

In the 1980s a second vault was inserted beneath one of the side arches to brace the structure against the lateral thrust of the piers, which are 5.6 to 9.5 m thick. The bridge stayed under the waters of the Giribaile reservoir from 1998 until February 2010, when it emerged for the first time in its history during a drought.