Lake Texcoco
Mexico City's predecessor
Lake Texcoco was a large, shallow lake in the Valley of Mexico upon which the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan was built in the 14th century.
The lake system once covered much of the valley floor, but Spanish colonizers began draining it after their conquest in 1521, a process that continued for centuries.
Modern Mexico City now sits on the former lakebed, and the area's geology—soft, water-saturated clay—contributes to the city's notorious subsidence and earthquake vulnerability.
Only small remnants of the original lake system survive today.
Water-saturated terrain
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- migratory birdsSpecies traveling between seasonal habitats
- endemic speciesLife found nowhere else
- brine shrimpTiny saline-water crustacean
algae · saline · brackish · marshes · reeds · flamingos · waterfowl · axolotl
Pre-Columbian Mexican empire
- causewayRaised road over water
- MoctezumaAztec emperor during conquest
- island cityMunicipality on surrounded land
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
codex · glyphs · obsidian · cacao · quetzal · conquest · Cortés
Thoroughly dehydrated
- reclamationRecovery of something lost
- landfillWaste burial ground
- evaporationLiquid turning to gas
- siltationAccumulation of fine waterborne particles
subsidence · urbanization · canalization · drainage · infrastructure · engineering · Spanish colonial · salt flats
Overwhelming surge of water
- delugeSevere overflow of water
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
- dikesRaised barriers against flooding
- leveesEarthen flood barriers
watershed · stormwater · precipitation · runoff · hydrology · flood control · drainage system · submerge
Large important city
- capitalWealth used for investment
- airportAviation passenger facility
- urban sprawlUncontrolled peripheral development
- sinkingFalling through water
foundation · sediment · earthquake · built upon · megacity · subsoil
wetlands
Water-saturated terrain
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- migratory birdsSpecies traveling between seasonal habitats
- endemic speciesLife found nowhere else
brine shrimp · algae · saline · brackish · marshes · reeds · flamingos · waterfowl · axolotl · habitat
Aztecs
Pre-Columbian Mexican empire
- causewayRaised road over water
- MoctezumaAztec emperor during conquest
- island cityMunicipality on surrounded land
sacrifice · codex · glyphs · obsidian · cacao · quetzal · conquest · Cortés
desiccated
Thoroughly dehydrated
- reclamationRecovery of something lost
- landfillWaste burial ground
- evaporationLiquid turning to gas
siltation · subsidence · urbanization · canalization · drainage · infrastructure · engineering · Spanish colonial · salt flats · water diversion
inundation
Overwhelming surge of water
- delugeSevere overflow of water
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
- dikesRaised barriers against flooding
levees · watershed · stormwater · precipitation · runoff · hydrology · flood control · drainage system · submerge · saturated
metropolis
Large important city
- capitalWealth used for investment
- airportAviation passenger facility
- urban sprawlUncontrolled peripheral development
sinking · foundation · sediment · earthquake · built upon · megacity · subsoil
- lakesGreat Lakes, Superior, Erie, Michigan, Ontario
- Aztec WorldTenochtitlan, Aztecs, Aztec, Aztec Empire, Nahuatl
- MesoamericaMaya, Aztec, Aztecs, Aztec Empire, Olmec
- Central MexicoMexico City, Guadalajara, Puebla, Guanajuato, Zacatecas
- Spanish ConquestCortes, Hernan Cortes, Pizarro, conquistadors, Tenochtitlan
- Ancient Lakesglacial lakes
Lake TexcocoPacific Ocean
Largest body of water
Atlantic Ocean · ocean · Mediterranean Sea · deep ocean · open sea
Lake TexcocoMexico City
Capital of its nation
urban sprawl · concrete jungle · modern metropolis · Lake Baikal · dry land
lake, lakeside, lakefront, lakeshore, lakebed, laker, lakehouse