Glenn Murray has published a report on the Segovia Aqueduct at UNESCO in Paris. Credit: Unan Numismática / Creative Commons
The Segovia City Council of Castilla Y Leon has filed a formal complaint against an American man accused of attempting to remove stones from the city’s famous Roman aqueduct and auction online for 1,000 euros.
The suspect, Glenn Murray, has lived in Spain for decades and is a well-known local heritage activist. He argued that the action was a form of protest against what he described as a long-standing neglect of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. According to Murray, he intended to donate proceeds from the sale to a charity chosen by the buyer.
The granite block in question weighs 17.3 kg, and is measured at 25 x 22 x 15 cm. Murray claimed it had already fallen from the structure, only picked it up, and just shared the video online to show it was loose. The sales post described it as “a unique opportunity to acquire real stones from the Segovia Aqueduct.”
“The stones did not fall from the monument.”
However, Segovia’s Urban Planning and Heritage Councillor Alejandro Gonzalez dismissed the version in an interview with Cadena Corp on Friday, August 8, saying, “The stone did not fall from the monument. It was torn apart.” The council claims that the block came from the masonry walls of nearby Plaza de Avendano, not from the main aqueduct itself.
Authorities ordered Murray to return the stone to the state museum for conservation, potential recovery and ultimate recovery. The lawsuit has been called a potential crime against the estate and has been notified to the local government of Castile Y. Leon that there is a possibility of a serious violation of the estate law.
public opinion
Murray has long spoken about what he sees as inadequate protection of the aqueduct. He criticizes the lack of signs to stop visitors from relying on the base, the lack of barriers to prevent vehicles from getting too close, and the resistance of Boteron (outdoor drinking parties) with its feet. He argues that these activities contributed to their degradation and that his actions were intended to attract public attention to the issue.
Beyond this latest controversy, Murray is well known in Segovia for his decades-long campaign to restore Segovia Mint, the city’s historic treasure, for decades. Born in Los Angeles in 1952, he moved to Spain in 1987 and studied abandoned buildings. Supported by grants from the American Nationwide Association and the Spanish National Mint, he conducted extensive research in Symanca and in the National Historical Archives. His doctoral dissertation, completed in 2004, demonstrated that hydraulic mint, constructed by Philip II in 1583, was the oldest, most advanced and most preserved example in the world.
Criminal charges
In 1993, Murray founded a friend of the Segovia Mint Association and successfully lobbyed a site declared in 2000 to a place of cultural interest. After years of advocacy, a restoration agreement was signed in 2005 and work was completed in 2011. It has been almost a quarter of a century since Murray launched his campaign.
Now, the man who celebrated with his legacy work has found himself facing the possibility of criminal charges in a case that sparked debate over how Segovia’s most iconic landmarks are protected.
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