Carioca Aqueduct
Coordinates: 22°54′45.34″S 43°10′47.46″W / 22.9125944°S 43.1798500°W
The Carioca Aqueduct (Portuguese: Aqueduto da Carioca) is an aqueduct in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The aqueduct was built in the middle of the 18th century to bring fresh water from the Carioca river to the population of the city. It is an impressive example of colonial architecture and engineering.
The Carioca Aqueduct is located in the centre of the city, in the Lapa neighbourhood, and is frequently called Arcos da Lapa (Lapa Arches) by Brazilian people. Since the end of the 19th century the aqueduct serves as a bridge for a popular tram that connects the city centre with the Santa Teresa neighbourhood uphill, the Santa Teresa Tramway.
In the early history of Rio de Janeiro, the nucleus of the city was surrounded by swamps with water of bad quality, and fresh water 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 canals 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.
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