The Marqués : don Juan Antonio de Urrutia y Arana, marqués de la villa del Villar del Aguila funded and ordered the construction of the famous aqueduct, the icon of Querétaro, with its 74 archs, built between 1726 & 1738. The residents of the city had already managed to contaminate the waters of the Querétaro River that flows through the city. So a new water source was desperately needed, and the Marqués was able to make it happen. The statue in the center of the Plaza de Armas, probably the most prestigious spot in town, honors the Marqués for his civic contribution.




The "Tanque" ("tank") is a landmark in Querétaro, marking the spot where the main downtown street Zaragoza goes around the tank to become the Calzada de los Arcos, the thoroughfare of the aqueduct. The tank is actually the site of a prodigious spring, called (of course) the "Fuente del Marqués", whose waters are purified and used, and flow over the sides of the tank constantly.

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