A Roman Past

The footprint of the Romans in Toledo can be seen throughout our city, but there is one site in particular that is worth getting to know. At Puerta del Sol you’ll find remains of part of the Roman sewer system. The Romans are renowned for their grandest structures such as the coliseums, circuses and bathhouses, but their engineering expertise also extended to public amenities such as harbours, roads, lighthouses and, in an urban context, drains that move sewage away from the city.

The sewer is raised a few metres above the ground at the meeting of the street with Calle del Cristo de la Luz and the Bab-al-Mardum Mosque. The structure is about a metre tall, ten metres long and ends at the parapet of the well next to the Mosque.

The public works throughout Roman Toledo show the importance that the city had during the period. Toletum is the name that the Romans gave to the city when they conquered it in 192BC until they were expelled by the Alans in 411. As you can see, the city was under Roman rule for six centuries giving ample time for the Romanisation of the city that had a lasting impact on Toledo, an example of this being the drainage system.