Ayuntamiento de Uclés

Ayto. Uclés

Puerta del Agua Gate and Fountain of the Five Spouts

The Puerta del Agua is one of the gates in the second ring of walls built in the 16th century and today it is the main entrance to the town. Made of ashlar stones, it has a semi-circular arch and a crenellated parapet with seven merlons. A coat-of-arms of the Bourbon dynasty adorns the central part of the structure.

In the 15th century the town walls had 650 merlons and several gates, named from south to north as follows: Herrería [Forge], Baldosería [Flagstone], Alcantarilla [Sewer], Agua [Water], Postigo [Wicket], and San Pedro [Saint Peter].

Opposite the gate is the so-called Fountain of the Five Spouts. Built in the Herreran style (named after the architect Juan de Herrera), the fountain was described by the lawyer Ruiz de Alburquerque, governor by royal appointment of the district of Uclés, in the Relaciones Topográficas. This was a statistical compilation of the towns and cities of Spain undertaken under the orders of Philip II in 1575. At the time it had four spouts but a fifth one was added when the fountain was renovated in 1905, during the reign of Alfonso XIII. The body of the fountain is made of stone, with various relief elements and a commemorative plaque. It has a single basin and three urns decorate the top. There is also a trough and perimeter channels.

On summer nights, young lads would gather at the fountain to cool down after a hard day’s harvesting in the fields, and the local girls would go there in search of water, with the pretext of enjoying the cool night air but to see the youths as well. Today it is still a favourite haunt for people looking for some peace and quiet or conversation with the sound of water in the background.

Legend has it that whoever drinks from the central spout will find the love of their life in Uclés.

The water comes from the Fuente Redonda spring a little over one kilometre from the town, on the road to Rozalén del Monte.