Mono de la Pila Fountain

This stone fountain (1583), known as the Monkey of the Basin, was Bogotá’s first public water source, originally placed in the Plaza Mayor. Decorated with coats of arms and crowned by a figure of Neptune—mistaken by locals for a monkey—it embodied the authority of the Spanish crown. Over time, it became a focal point for civic protest, transforming from a symbol of power into one of public voice. Removed in 1846, it is now preserved in the Colonial Museum.