It was commissioned by Francisco José Cardoso Júnior, president of the Mato Grosso, who recognized the need for a steady water supply in Cuiabá.

Cuiaba had, according to the Plano de Cuiabá do ano do 1777, six public fountains; a seventh at the Santa Casa da Misericordia is likely not recorded in the plan.

[3] Francisco José Cardoso Júnior, president of the Mato Grosso from 1871 to 1872, both years of drought and water shortage in Cuiabá.

Cardoso Júnior ordered the construction of a fountain for public use, and commissioned Francisco Nunes da Cunha, a military engineer, to find deeper and more reliable water sources.

The reservoir captured a small amount of water from spring, which was then conducted to the Fountain of Mundéu on lower ground.

The plaza was greatly reduced in size with the placement of a bus terminal along the avenue; the colonial-era buildings of Cuiabá were likewise replaced by modern structures.