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.