Mexico City: El Desagüe.

The article focuses on the ecological and historical transformation of Mexico City from its origins as the Aztec island city of Tenochtitlan, built on a lake, to a sprawling metropolis constructed on a drained lakebed. It details how colonial drainage projects, beginning with Hernán Cortés’s conquest and continuing through modern infrastructure like the Lerma System, sought to replace the city’s aquatic environment with land suitable for European-style urbanism, resulting in ongoing water scarcity and environmental instability. The text also explores cultural responses to this transformation, including artistic works that reflect the tension between the city’s watery past and its present ecological challenges, as well as contemporary social dynamics such as gentrification and protests rooted in historical displacement. Ultimately, Mexico City is portrayed as a place defined by a persistent oscillation between water and dryness, where repressed histories and ecological realities continually resurface despite efforts to control and erase them. [Extracted from the article]