Aljibe de Los Altamirano by Carly Stopera

Aljibe de Los Altamirano, Calle de la Victoria, Trujillo

stoperacr — 2024-09-12 09:39:35 UTC

Relative Location

stoperacr — 2024-09-12 10:01:49 UTC

The Aljibe de Los Altamirano is located on Calle de la Victoria in Trujillo, Spain. It is a short walking distance from the Plaza Mayor, which is the middle of the town. This is important because the Aljibe de Los Altamirano is where the civilians would get their water.

Absolute Location

stoperacr — 2024-09-12 10:08:28 UTC

39°27’36.1″N 5°53’02.0″W

Empirical Space

stoperacr — 2024-09-12 10:22:11 UTC

Aljibe de Los Altamirano is approximately 10 meters deep, 12 meters long, and 12 meters wide.

Movement/ Connection Space

stoperacr — 2024-09-12 10:22:32 UTC

The locals of Trujillo would take the water from the aljibe and bring it back to their houses. Then, they could use it for whatever their needs were. They could heat the water up and use it for baths, cleaning clothes, or just cleaning in general. The water they are using is rainwater, so I am not sure if they used the water for cooking or drinking purposes.

Embodied and Interactive Space

stoperacr — 2024-09-12 10:22:52 UTC

When the 10th century hydraulic work, Aljibe de Los Altamirano, was still in use, the locals of Trujillo used it to collect water for the town. The water tank would collect rain water through three curbs coming off the street. It would then compile into the tank where the locals could go in, collect their water, then bring it back to their houses for whatever they needed.

Works Cited

stoperacr — 2024-09-13 17:56:36 UTC

https://trujilloteespera.com/descubrir/monumentos-de-trujillo/aljibe-altamirano/

https://blogs.hoy.es/paraisos-olvidados/2014/03/21/el-aljibe-de-altamirano-un-sueno-del-agua-quieta-en-trujillo/

History

stoperacr — 2024-09-15 17:44:12 UTC

The Arabs could take responsibility for the invention of the aljibe with Moroccan architecture. A nickname for this invention is "Moorish cisterns". These water tanks were such an important part of a town and provided so much for the people during the Middle Ages.

Fun Fact #1

stoperacr — 2024-09-15 17:45:06 UTC

In certain parts of Spain, the towns are digging up their old roots and starting to make their aljibe sustainable again. The environment of the world is in need of help, so for certain towns to regain what their history once had is a huge step.

Fun Fact #2

stoperacr — 2024-09-15 17:47:51 UTC

According to, Aljibes, water storing facilities developed by Arabs in Al Andalus brought back to life, the largest aljibe is called Aljibe del Rey and can hold up to 79,251 US gallons of water.

What is an aljibe?

stoperacr — 2024-09-15 18:04:52 UTC

The direct translation of aljibe from Spanish to English is 'cistern'. We have an example of this right on our very own College of Charleston campus.

What is it used for now?

stoperacr — 2024-09-15 19:53:38 UTC

Aljibe de Los Altamirano is now used as a tourist attraction. Tourists can only go to visit this space if they are accompanied by a tour guide. Aljibe de Los Altamirano is monumental since it shows how far Trujillo has grown since the Middle Ages.

Rainfall

stoperacr — 2024-09-15 20:30:57 UTC

In certain parts of Spain, rainfall is very rare throughout the year. For example, Trujillo has not experienced rain since June of this year. It was so important for the aljibes to collect as much water as they could when it rained since it is such a rare experience for it to occur in Trujillo during the summer months.

History

stoperacr — 2024-09-15 20:50:22 UTC

With Trujillo reaching record setting temperatures in the summertime, it is said that when the aljibe was still in use, the locals would sit near to receive some of the cool air seeping through the wellheads of the aljibe. The granite rock lining the inside of the cistern caused for a natural cooling system for the water inside.