"It was supposed to have 52 arches, but it was never finished" - this is how archaeologist and author of more than two hundred articles Carlos Gozalbes Cravioto describes what was to be the great Puente del Rey, which was supposed to serve as a bridge over the Guadalhorce river, an aqueduct and a fountain.
This infrastructure, which is now three centuries old, was the main talking point of the 23rd discussion of Alhaurín de la Torre and its history. The talk took place in the Peña de Zapata - a historic Alhaurín area through which this valuable cultural asset runs.
"It truly is the most ambitious work that has ever been attempted in Malaga province," the researcher said. Its purpose was to guarantee the water supply to the city through a large connection that started at the foot of the Sierra de Mijas. That is where the great aquifer, which, although currently very depleted, still provides drinking water to a good part of the surrounding municipalities, is located.
Puente del Rey was not only a large pipeline. Eight flour mills were to be built so that Malaga could produce enough bread, because when the river would rise wheat could not reach the city from the surrounding fields.
The importance of that work is clear if we take into account that, in 2018, the Fuente del Rey aqueduct was registered in the general catalogue of Andalusian historical heritage as an asset of cultural interest. The aim of this registration was to conserve what remains of an exponent of 18th-century engineering. The idea, in which Felipe V was personally involved, arose at a time of commercial and agricultural boom, when other landmarks, such as the cathedral and the port, were built.
The cataloguing, however, does not guarantee its refurbishment, as Gozalbes Cravioto said. According to him, there are different owners along the almost six-kilometre preserved route, including owners of houses that are attached to the arches.
Why was this work never finished? Toribio Martínez de la Vega was the architect behind the project until his last days. He received the commission when he was 82 years old, having left his mark on the cathedral of Murcia, the Almadén mines and the bridge of Los Peligros over the Segura river. When he died, however, "there were problems with the materials and political tensions and corruption. In the end, it was forgotten".
Two large and five small arches remain from the Puente del Rey bridge over the Guadalhorce river, which has been in use since the 19th century thanks to the installation of a wooden footbridge.
The main façade bears the inscription of the monument's date of construction: 1728. As for the aqueduct, one section of it ('arcos de Zapata') runs through the Zapata area in Alhaurín de la Torre and another through the Ramírez stream. The wall, some sections of which exceed five metres, is visible from the motorway.
The Junta de Andalucía regional government has also preserved several pieces adjacent to the infrastructure on the route from Fuente del Rey near Malaga Airport. The technical documentation of the aqueduct provides interesting information on public work, engineering and architecture.