PC: Revive Lake Texcoco

I've been wondering about the possibility of stopping the shrinkage of Take Texcoco after...say 1850 or so.

Admittedly I ask this for the sake of my timeline (linked in my sig), so this ATL Mexico has significantly curtailed the issues of instability it had OTL. I also understand keeping the lake (as well as Lakes Zumpango, Xochimilco and Chalco) larger means a significantly smaller Mexico City, which I'm alright with.

So with that said, can the lakes be kept at least at their mid-19th century levels? Brownie points if the lakes can actually grow larger over time.
 
I've been wondering about the possibility of stopping the shrinkage of Take Texcoco after...say 1850 or so.

Admittedly I ask this for the sake of my timeline (linked in my sig), so this ATL Mexico has significantly curtailed the issues of instability it had OTL. I also understand keeping the lake (as well as Lakes Zumpango, Xochimilco and Chalco) larger means a significantly smaller Mexico City, which I'm alright with.

So with that said, can the lakes be kept at least at their mid-19th century levels? Brownie points if the lakes can actually grow larger over time.

Man. It would be seriously cool. But it is difficult. Lake Texcoco was more of a big pond than a lake - it was shallow and the water was murky enough not to be potable. This made it easy to drain out as the city was growing.

I've been following your TL, and perhaps - if Mexico is federalized enough - Mexico City doesn't grow as fast or as big as in OTL. Then the city doesn't grow as fast and perhaps if the lake makes it to 1900 there is a conscious effort to preserve the lakes in the Mexico Valley. This would require quite a bit of infrastructure, investment, and constant care but a dedicated government could do it.

Alternatively the land could be purchased by a private enterprise in which some eccentric tycoon hopes to build a first class resort for the wealthy that includes the lake. They put up the money for it and keep it. Then perhaps down the line the government buys it back but the infrastructure to keep the lake and the general layout of having the city around the concept of preserving the lake is already in place. I'm thinking something ala Venice of America which became Venice Beach in LA.

Nevertheless you need to keep part of the lake intact up until the 1900s.
 
Man. It would be seriously cool. But it is difficult. Lake Texcoco was more of a big pond than a lake - it was shallow and the water was murky enough not to be potable. This made it easy to drain out as the city was growing.

I've been following your TL, and perhaps - if Mexico is federalized enough - Mexico City doesn't grow as fast or as big as in OTL. Then the city doesn't grow as fast and perhaps if the lake makes it to 1900 there is a conscious effort to preserve the lakes in the Mexico Valley. This would require quite a bit of infrastructure, investment, and constant care but a dedicated government could do it.

Alternatively the land could be purchased by a private enterprise in which some eccentric tycoon hopes to build a first class resort for the wealthy that includes the lake. They put up the money for it and keep it. Then perhaps down the line the government buys it back but the infrastructure to keep the lake and the general layout of having the city around the concept of preserving the lake is already in place. I'm thinking something ala Venice of America which became Venice Beach in LA.

Nevertheless you need to keep part of the lake intact up until the 1900s.

Haha indeed it would be awesome! When I first began thinking about it I thought of a modern, smaller Mexico City...with a shoreline. :D

I was talking it over with Cuauhtemoc, and we were thinking of how to redirect Mexico City's population. One idea was to have Mexicans travel up north, while another idea was to perhaps move Mexico City's "government center" and establish a new one to the north or west...maybe converting the area around Chapultepec into a "Mexican Capitol Hill." In doing this the growth of the city can perhaps be funneled in another direction. Either way ATL Mexico City won't become the monster megalopolis it is OTL.

I do love the idea of it being an Alt-Mexican Venice Beach, as well as it being started by some rich tycoon. I'm already set to have an environmentally conscience Mexican President take the issue at the turn of the century, so we'll see what happens. Thanks for the help jycee! :)
 
Have the Mexican government of the period build a new system of dykes, dams and levees from the remnants of those built by Tenochtitlán, complemented with a series of irrigation works to and from the lake. It's going to be a hard task, though: the lake wasn't very liked, as it was considered at some point a health hazard, and very prone to flooding.

OTL, an engineer called Francisco de Garay did the construction of some aqueducts to serve several farming towns in the Greater Mexico Valley in 1856. You might want to take some hints out of it.
 
Haha indeed it would be awesome! When I first began thinking about it I thought of a modern, smaller Mexico City...with a shoreline. :D

I was talking it over with Cuauhtemoc, and we were thinking of how to redirect Mexico City's population. One idea was to have Mexicans travel up north, while another idea was to perhaps move Mexico City's "government center" and establish a new one to the north or west...maybe converting the area around Chapultepec into a "Mexican Capitol Hill." In doing this the growth of the city can perhaps be funneled in another direction. Either way ATL Mexico City won't become the monster megalopolis it is OTL.

I do love the idea of it being an Alt-Mexican Venice Beach, as well as it being started by some rich tycoon. I'm already set to have an environmentally conscience Mexican President take the issue at the turn of the century, so we'll see what happens. Thanks for the help jycee! :)

Glad you liked the suggestion. And I actually like your idea of creating a sort of Capitol Hill around Chapultepec (which would probably extend into what used to be Hacienda Morales now Polanco), and thus moving Mexico City westward.

Also if you do both- this and the Texcoco as an ALT Venice of America- you could effectively reverse the affluence of Mexico City's neighborhoods. The East would be host the affluent neighborhoods, while the West- aside from "the Hill" and downtown- will likely be seen as the City's interior. (I would guess the South will remain more "suburban-y" and with less growth actually appear that way).
 
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