A monthly members-only column by Alan Dulaney
When Hernan Cortes arrived at Tenochtitlan in 1519, the city sat in the middle of five lakes, connected to the mainland by three causeways. The lakes were largely replenished by runoff from the mountains and volcanos surrounding the Valley of Mexico. Driven out of the Aztec capitol across one of the causeways, Cortes lost many of his men and most of the gold stolen from Tenochtitlan. He returned with allies in 1521, conquering the city. He also began the process of draining the lakes in order to provide more land for settlement of what became Mexico City, and now only a small remnant of Lake Texcoco can be found.
Four centuries later, explosive growth came to Mexico City. Upwards of 21 million people now inhabit the megalopolis that sprawls across the Valley of Mexico. But the water supply is not sufficient to maintain that population.
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