The Carioca Aqueduct (), also known as Arcos da Lapa, is an aqueduct in the city of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. The aqueduct was built in the middle of the 18th century to bring fresh water from the

Carioca River The Carioca River ( Portuguese: Rio Carioca) is a river in the state of Rio de Janeiro state in southeastern Brazil. It emerges from two springs on the southeast slopes of the Tijuca Massif in the protected Mata Atlantica forest of Tijuca Natio ...

to the population of the city. It is a typical example of colonial architecture and engineering. The Carioca Aqueduct is located in the centre of the city, in the Lapa neighbourhood. Since the end of the 19th century the aqueduct serves as a bridge for the Santa Teresa Tramway that connects the city centre with the Santa Teresa neighbourhood uphill.

History

In the early history of Rio de Janeiro, the nucleus of the city was surrounded by

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s with water of bad quality, and

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salt (chemistry), salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include ...

had to be carried manually from streams located relatively far from the city. Since at least 1602 there had been plans to build a system of

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

s to bring water from the source of the Carioca river, located on Santa Teresa hill, to Rio de Janeiro. Colonial authorities attempted to build canals, but the construction was always hampered by technical and financial difficulties. By the end of the 17th century there were only a few hundred metres of canalisation completed. LeandroJoaquim-1790-Arcos

After 1706, construction of the aqueduct was given a fresh impulse by authorities. During the rule of governor Aires de Saldanha (1719–1725) it was decided that the canals, which at the time reached the ''Campo da Ajuda'' (today's Cinelândia square), should reach the Santo Antônio square (today's ''Largo da Carioca''), which was closer to the centre of the city. Construction of the first aqueduct was finished in 1723, and clean water flowed directly to a decorative

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

in Santo Antônio Square, to the relief of the people of Rio de Janeiro. This first aqueduct was already in bad shape by 1744, when governor Gomes Freire de Andrade (1733–1763) ordered the building of a new, larger structure. The works were encharged to Portuguese military engineer José Fernandes Pinto Alpoim, who was inspired by similar structures in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, like the Águas Livres Aqueduct in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

. The aqueduct was inaugurated in 1750. The most impressive feature of the aqueduct is the course that connects the hills of Santa Teresa and Santo Antônio, in today's Lapa neighbourhood. This segment of the aqueduct spans 270 metres and consists of two storeys of monumental arches - 42 in total - with a maximum height of 17.6 metres. In colonial times, water from the Carioca Aqueduct reached several fountains scattered through Rio de Janeiro, including those in Santo Antônio Square, Ajuda Square ( Cinelândia) and the ''Terreiro do Paço'' (today's '' Praça XV''). At the end of the 18th century, as the waters of the Carioca river were insufficient to feed the aqueduct, water from other streams were also diverted to its canals.

Tramway

The aqueduct was deactivated at the end of the 19th century, as new alternatives to supply water to Rio were developed. The structure was adapted in 1896 to serve as a viaduct for a

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

linethe ''Bonde de Santa Teresa'' ( Santa Teresa Tramway)that transports passengers between the centre of Rio and the hilly Santa Teresa neighbourhood. The picturesque ride is popular among locals and tourists alike. The Santa Teresa ''bonde'' (or ''bondinho'', meaning "little tram") is the only tram still in operation in Rio de Janeiro, although the 2016-opened

Rio de Janeiro Light Rail Rio de Janeiro Light Rail () is a modern light rail system serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The system is among several new public transport developments in the region ahead of the city's successful bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Its officia ...

system is similar to a tramway on some sections. In the 1960s, several houses which had been built near the aqueduct were demolished, improving the visual impact of the monument. In August 2011, an accident occurred when brakes apparently failed and left five people dead. In response, all service was indefinitely suspended, but plans to rebuild the line and replace the old tramcars (with faux-vintage replicas) were subsequently approved. Limited service on a portion of the lineincluding across the former aqueductbegan operating again in July 2015.

References

*José de Souza Reis. ''Os Arcos da Carioca''. Revista do IPHAN n.12 p. 9 (1955) (in Portuguese

* ''Guia da Arquitetura Colonial, Neoclássica e Romântica no Rio de Janeiro''. Editora Casa da Palavra. 2000. (in Portuguese)

External links

*{{commons-inline, Arcos da Lapa, Carioca Aqueduct Aqueducts in Brazil Buildings and structures in Rio de Janeiro (city) Infrastructure completed in 1750 National heritage sites of Rio de Janeiro (state) Tram bridges