Aqueduct in Taxco, Mexico
About this photograph
- Creator
- Margery H. Freeman
- Date created
- July 1970
- Location
- Taxco, Mexico
- License
- This photograph copyright ©2007. Terms of use
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- Search LEARN NC for Cortes, Mexico, silver, silversmith, and Taxco.
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The stone arch of an aqueduct sits in the middle of a field. Tree-covered hills are visible beyond the arch.
This arch is part of an aqueduct built under orders from Hernán Cortes in the middle of the sixteenth century to service his silver mine and plantation. Today, it is a popular tourist destination, while his plantation home is now home to the regional college of art and languages.
Taxco is a town south of Mexico City, in the state of Guerrero, known for its silver mines and silversmiths. Taxco was famous for its rich silver mines since before the arrival of the Spanish. During the colonial period, Taxco was one of the most profitable areas under Spain’s control. After independence, silver mining declined, but Taxco emerged as a focus point for the artwork of silversmiths. Today, the town is a popular tourist destination both for its colonial architecture and high-winding streets, as well as its high-quality silver artwork.
