The fountain of Santa Maria is located in the center of the square that bears the same name, in the city of Baeza. Its strategic location makes it the axis of the urban space, surrounded by the cathedral, the high council houses and the seminary. It is one of the most representative monuments of the city and, according to the architectural historian Fernando Chueca Goitia, one of the most beautiful and unique fountains in Andalusia. It is part of the Renaissance ensemble of Baeza, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003, along with that of Ubeda.

It was erected in 1564 by order of the city council to commemorate the completion of the water supply system, under the direction of the licensed magistrate Manrique de Cabrera and with the design of the Baeza architect Gines Martinez. Its lower structure takes the form of a Roman triumphal arch, reflecting the historical legacy and importance of Baeza. In 1670 it underwent some modifications, and in 1993 it underwent its last restoration.

The water that supplies the fountain comes from the Celadilla mine, located 2.5 kilometers northeast of the city. A large hydraulic system allows a person to enter and transports the water to a large reservoir known as the water ark. From there, pipes distribute the liquid to the various public fountains under pressure.

The design of the fountain is free-standing and presents a lobed pillar with moldings that surrounds a triumphal arch oriented in a north-south direction. Its first body is composed of a serliana supported by four square pilasters, each accompanied by a pair of Tuscan columns on pedestals. The central arch is semicircular, decorated with moldings and a corbel in the keystone, while the spandrels remain plain. The structure generates three streets, separated by the serliana, and topped by an entablature with an empty frieze. To balance the difference in height between the central arch and the lateral linteled openings, eight allegorical caryatids were added, four on each front, as well as four cartouches with commemorative inscriptions. One of them reads:

"This work was ordered by the very illustrious lords of Baeza.
The most illustrious lord was the mayor of Baeza, Mr. Manrique de Cabrera.
The master of bringing and drawing the water and making the fountains was Ginés Martínez, a native of Baeza.
It was finished in the year of 1564, reigning the very powerful King D. Felipe II."

On the western and eastern sides of the first body are, respectively, the coat of arms of Baeza and an additional cartouche that records the restoration of the fountain in 1670 under the direction of the corregidor Blas Tenorio de Mendoza.

The second body, of smaller size and located in the central part, is framed by two large corbels and supported by two pairs of atlantes that, on each front, flank the coat of arms of Philip II. The structure culminates in a triangular pediment, giving the fountain a monumental appearance that reinforces its symbolic and historical character.