Chapultepec aqueduct, Colonial water monument in Mexico City, Mexico

The Chapultepec Aqueduct is a stone monument consisting of classical arches that once ran through the city in the Spanish colonial style. About 20 of the original arches remain visible today, standing near the Chapultepec and Insurgentes Metro stations, with one original fountain preserved at the Chapultepec roundabout.

The first aqueduct from the Chapultepec springs was begun in 1418 under Chimalpopoca and destroyed by a flood in 1449. Nezahualcóyotl ordered a second, stone-masonry system with two troughs, later wrecked by Cortés. The colonial aqueduct was built under Viceroy Fernando de Alencastre, 1st Duke of Linares (1711–1716), ran about 4 kilometers with 904 arches, and was later fitted with iron and lead pipes.

The aqueduct was also called the Aqueduct of Belén, after a convent it passed. Its water reached the Salto del Agua fountain at Eje Central and Arcos de Belén; the original fountain is now in the Museo Nacional del Virreinato in Tepotzotlán, replaced on site by a reproduction by Guillermo Ruiz.

You can explore the remaining arches near the Chapultepec and Insurgentes Metro stations, with some sections visible alongside modern streets. Walking along Chapultepec Avenue gives you the best view of how the arches integrate with the current city landscape.

The aqueduct's colonial section was known as the Aqueduct of Belén, after a convent it passed. In the 19th century, iron and lead pipes replaced its open troughs to shield the water from contamination, though waterborne illness persisted. A small section of about twenty-two arches survives near Metro Sevilla.