Why Mexico City Has a Water Problem 

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NYC resident, came to Mexico City for first time last year aware of all its many problems but was still more impressed by CDMX than any place on earth I’ve ever been

Mexico city dweller ("chilango" if you want) here: You forgot the active volcano, if not by sinking, or by massive flood, or by earthquake, this city is going to be obliterated by the volcano. Because worst than to build a city on a dried up lake, is to build it on a dried up lake next to an active volcano.

What's crazy is how issues like this usually began in more recent decades or are currently happening with the conversations revolving around how future generations will be affected by. But in the case of Mexico city it is 500 years in the making which a bygone generation started and today modern people are living with the consequences of

Just a couple of corrections: 1. Chinampas were small platforms for agricultural use only. The ones in which Tenochtitlan was built were bigger and with pilars. Not chinampas. 2. Mexico city gets its water from the Cutzamala Hidraulic System. Which transports water from other states like Michoacan or Edomex. Water trucks are used when there is maintenance in these system. 3. The earthquake you mentioned first occured in 2017. Not 2015.

Around minute 1:36 you mention the earthquake took place in 2015, it was actually in 2017 Fun fact, the earthquake happened on the same day the 1985 one happened too, September 19 haha. Ever since, Mexicans pray for tectonic plates to chill when September comes.

Fun Fact: Paseo de la Reforma (translated as "Promenade of the Reform") is a wide avenue that runs diagonally across the heart of Mexico City. It was designed at the behest of Emperor Maximilian by Ferdinand von Rosenzweig during the era of the Second Mexican Empire and modeled after the great boulevards of Europe, such as the Ringstraße in Vienna and the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The planned grand avenue was to link the National Palace with the imperial residence, Chapultepec Castle, which was then on the southwestern edge of town. The project was originally named Paseo de la Emperatriz ("Promenade of the Empress") in honor of Maximilian's consort Empress Carlota. After the fall of the Empire and Maximilian's subsequent execution, the restored Mexican Republic renamed the Paseo in honor of the La Reforma.

A city can solve, let's say, a rodent problem by calling them 'harbor squirrels' but geological issues are harder. Near where I live, the Matsqui Prairie became Matsqui Lake again and most years Lake Agassiz tries to reestablish over Winnipeg. When I was much younger, I lived in Kenora, Ont. and stairs needed to be put from sidewalk to street because they were sinking into the muskeg.

I've been to Mexico City and I really like it there, but it really needs to sort out the water problems

Rebuild Tenochtitlan back, make the city based around boats and rivers like it was intended to.

The fact that the Netherlands can build below sea level and reclaim land from the sea says to me that this issue could be solved with some clever civic engineering. People just need to have the guts to give up some roads and buildings to make room for canals and water management facilities.

I think CDMX actually has 9.2 million people, the 22 million is for the larger metro area. But nevertheless it's still more populous than New York.

Cortés rebuilt the city there and not in Coyoacán or somewhere else not because potatoes, nor because he wanted to erase the legacy of the old culture. It was because he wanted to use that same legacy in order to have the rest of the peoples pay respect to Spain. It's like if you conquer Rome, you won't put your administrative centre in Viterbo or Benevento. It's symbolism.

As a former Mexico City dweller your video was very well done, researched and explained, the historical upbringing, the realities of water shortage and sinking, the geography. Very well done, sir!

Give it back it's old name - Tenochtitlan! And turn the streets into Venice 😊

The Mexican government should just call someone from the Netherlands. They know everything when it comes to water

038: "But Mexico City has one major problem:" *Shows a scenery of Mexico with displayed pride flags* Me: Ayo!?! *3 seconds later:* "Water."

"Let that sink in for a moment" That's a morbid pun and I love it.

0:28 "Rainier than Portland" - no, Portland averages well over 900 mm on 156 days. Mexico City has about 850 mm on 124 days. 0:49 "More rain than Vancouver" - LOL. Not even close. Vancouver averages 1150 mm. Unsubscribed.

I saw your tweet. It's a \good vid, man, no need to delete it! But, you know, you could work this material into an entire subsidence video about sinking cities. Mexico City, Venice, Atlanta, lots of cities with similar issues that you could weave together into a really big video.

Mexico City is truly a Wonder Of The World . I was just there after over 30 years . It is mind boggling , in its colossal size . Imagine SEVERAL Manhattans pushed together to form one downtown

As a resident I campaign for that filtrating pavement that they use in Paris.

0:48 Building on the left; literally where I stayed when I was in DF in 2017. I was there for about a month, and the city, though overwhelming and plagued with a ton of infrastructural problems, is such a vibrant metropolis. The urban fabric of the city is such a disharmonious agglomeration of densities, styles, functionalities, but it all makes for an infinite amount of niches for one to meander through, socially and physically. Really a fascinating instance of ad hoc urbanization on an incomprehensible scale.

What were they protesting at the Square

Ever larger and heavier buildings on soft and swampy terrain is a problem not unique to Mexico City I'm afraid. I hope they manage to work something out. Thank you for another interesting video! Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you, friends. ✝️ :)

It’s native Allie’s and Spanish forces not Spanish forces and native Allie’s. There was only 250 Spanish at the beginning of the invasion. There were near 700,000 natives throughout the invasion fighting against the Aztecs

6:18 I love a subtle reference ot the Expanse

Great video.

In a better timeline, there would be a massive decentralization project that would push millions of residents out of Mexico City and back into the states, leaving land available for the partial (or even total) restoration of the lakes. The ancient islands could remain as the seat of the national government, but only as a commuter city not meant to house the entirety of its workers. The rest of the (now reduced) population would ideally live in the solid land surrounding the lakes.

Idk. Where this wave is coming from. But this must be the fourth video about Mexico city I've seen this year

about 20 years ago, i remember reading that some international group, decided to change the way Mexico City counts its population. Mexico city at the time was considered the largest city on planet, but after that international group made the changes, Mexico city's population went down. ....

¿Underground aquifers? Tautolgy, or are there other kinds?

Hey, I do content and consulting on Mesoamerican history and archeology, so I figure i'd give some corrections and extra info (Tenochtitlan is one of the coolest cities in history, there's a ton say!). Firstly, the Valley of Mexico and it's lake systems has actually been an important population center in Mesoamerica much before the Aztecs: Tlatilco was a major town with Olmec influence in the valley back when the region was first developing complex civilization around 1400-1000AD. A millennia after that, Teotihuacan was a gigantic metropolis, one of the largest cities int the world at the time, located in the northwest of the valley: Teotihuacan had 100,000+ denizens, a massive urban grid covering 20~ square kilometers, and basically all it's denizens lived in fancy palace compounds. There were advanced plumbing systems (pretty common in Mesoamerica, actually!), ethnic neighborhoods, and the city may have even conquered important Maya cities like Tikal 1000+ kilometers away. If you're curious about Teotihuacan, I absolutely recommend Ancient America's video on it (and not just because I helped with it!) Teotihuacan declined starting around 600AD, and while the valley continued to have a notable amount of cities, towns, and villages, most of Mesoamerica's major political centers were elsewhere for the next 600 years. Around then, as the video states, the Aztec migirated into the area. However, this is where the first major correction comes in: "Aztec" does not just mean Mexica. Well, it can. But sometimes it's not! The Mexica were just one of a few nomadic tribes migrating down from Northwestern Mexico at the time, many of whom spoke Nahuatl. The Mexica were among the very last of these Nahua groups forming city-states (influenced by the existing urban civilizations in the area) around Central Mexico, inside and outside the valley) in the migiration wave (there's also a few variations on the "Eagle eating a snake on a cactus" thing), and the Valley of Mexico's population EXPLODED during the time, as you can see in this series of maps showing the location of different population centers in the valley across different time periods: i.imgur.com/DBwgiCw.jpg . So sometimes people use "Aztec" to refer to the Mexica in particular, sometimes it's used to refer to the Nahuas in general, or sometimes to the "Aztec Empire", which included both Nahua and non-Nahua cities. (there's like a dozen other caveats and granularities here, how to define Aztec could easily be it's own video) On that note, the Aztec empire is not founded right away: Tenochtitlan was founded in 1325, but it would take roughly a century of vassalage, fighting for other cities, political marriages, and a war of successon for Tenochtitlan to ally with Texcoco and Tlacopan to overthrow Azcapotzalco, which would form the "Aztec Empire" as wider political entity. Next big correction: Huitzilopotchli isn't the sun god. This, too, is sort of a big complex topic worthy of it's own video, and this is a pretty common mistake to make, but in summary: But to put it simply: The main myth Huitzliopotchli is involved in, where he is born fully armed from Coatlicue and Coyolxauhqui and the Centzon Huitznauhtin is generally (though not universally) regarded as being an allegory for the Sun's (Huitzliopotchli) rise and the fall of the Moon (Coyolxauhqui) and the stars (the Centzon Huitznahuas) every day/night. So he has solar associations as a result of this and in some other respects. But this is a distinct thing from the "5 Suns" creation myth where the world and its people are cyclically created and destroyed and each age has a different god becoming it's sun. The current sun god is Tonatiuh, born from (in the most famous version) Nanahuatl jumping into the sacrificial bonfire, while the Moon was a sun created by another god jumping in late and then having a rabbit thrown at it (Yes, Mesoamerica had moon rabbits like East Asia!). I think at some point, some online sources got mixed up, and assumed that there was a version where Huitzilopotchli was the 5th sun, and then also mix in elements from the New Fire Ceremony (which occurred every 52 years, and is a ritualistic recreation of the creation of a new sun) and state that Huitzliopotchli needs sacrifices to fight off the tzitzimime (a group of lesser deities associated with stars, who were thought to devour the world/sun if the New Fire Ceremoney wasn't preformed) every night; but I'm not aware of any actual 16th or 17th century sources on Mexica or other Nahua myths that actually combine the elements those ways. (It's always possible there's an obscure one I don't know of, and given how much Aztec myths and iconography mixes aspects from one another, it would be plausable there's a version out there where this happens: There are iconographic ties between Coyolxauhqui (as well as Coatlicue, Itzpapalotl, etc and some other female deities to the tzitzimime, for example; but I haven't seen it nor has anybody else i've asked so far). I have seen somebody claim that he is shown as such in the Codex Ramirez as "The Blue Tezcatlipoca", but the "4 Tezcatlipocas" and Huitzliopotchli as one of them seems to be a misreading of the original source (see ClickyPenned on twiter), but there's also two Codex Ramirezes and I need to look into that more. Anyways, Tenochtitlan! As the video states, at it's height it was massive, estimated by most to have around 200,000 denizens, in the same ballpark as Europe's largest cities at the time like Paris and Constantinople, while covering an area of 13.5 square kilometers, around that of what Rome's walls encompassed. Since much of that space was made of artificial islands, chinampas (which also acted as flood dampners) it also had venice like canals running all throughout it, as well as causeways/roads across the lakes surface linking it to other cities and towns, with aquaducts (including some with pipes and switching mechanisms). There were also a few levees across the lake to manage the fresh vs salt water and to manage flooding. Public toilets lined major roads, and a fleet of civil servants collected waste and washed streets and buildings daily. You had hundreds of temples and palaces, schools (both for nobles and commoners, boys and girls, though not the exact same education), judicial courts, a royal zoo, aviary, aquarium, botonical gardens (which were quite common for or around palaces) and library. While it had many markets, it's largest (technically in the neighboring city of Tlatelolco, but it had been conquered and physically absorbed into Tenochtitlan due to their growth) conquistadors claimed had 60,000 people coming and going a day. If people are curious about what this all looked like, I HIGHLY reccomend looking up the paintings made by Scott and Stuart Gentling. Perhaps the biggest correction I have to point out deals with what's said at 2:45, where it is said that the Mexica of Tenochtitlan/the Aztec Empire was hated, and that led to Cortes getting allies. In reality, the Aztec Empire was very hand off, at least in terms of direct management and administration: Most Mesoamerican kingdoms and empires in general didn't directly govern their subject states, cities, towns, etc, since the lack of draft animals and difficult terrain made it costly: Most relied on indirect methods to cement political power, and if anything the Aztec empire did things like replacing rulers of conquered cities, colonies, and the like less then some other major players like the Classic Maya dyanisties or the Purepecha Empire: If you got conquered by the Aztec, you generally kept your ruler, laws, and customs, and mostly got left alone as long as you paid taxes, provided military aid, didn't block roads, and some other basic obligations. The notion of the Mexica extracting slaves or sacrifices (which were mostly from captured soldiers from wars) as tribute is mostly wrong: Slaves were rare as a form of tax (though less uncommon as a initial gift of spoils when a city was intially conquered, but def rare as a regular payment) and sacrifices as taxes even rarer, and even then in the form of soldiers capture from OTHER cities the Mexica were enemies with, not the subject's own people. Flower Wars were a thing, but when done with subjects, it was a pre-arranged event, and their use against enemy states was likely as much pragmatic to wear them down for real conquest as it was ritualistic. (again, could be it's own video) CONTINUED IN THE REPLY BELOW:

Another problem that wasn't mentioned is the pollution I'm not from Mexico City, but I have friends who lived there and my grandma has gone there some times My grandma said she felt her skin burn because the air was that polluted And my friends there have told me there are quarentines because the air is so bad some days you'd basically die if you go outside Chinese levels of pollution in essence This makes the water problem even worse since rain is now acid rain and thus needs to be cleaned before you can drink it

It’s not dying, that’s like saying New York is dying due to ocean levels rising. Or Arizona to temperature. No place on earth is perfect, Mexico will not let it’s capital die.

Mexico needs a new capital city, it is to important of a nation to have a capital so horribly placed. Aguascalientes its the best choice, closer the economic centers of the country and far from the seismic zones of Southern Mexico.

Liked that higher than Denver joke that was good

And Lake Zumpango is the last lake left from Texcoco

As a Mexican, this is a very well made video. But there’s more to this, not only is Mexico City sinking and water is running out. Its bowl shape makes it prone to high levels of unbreathable toxic air and extreme heat. UV index is high most of the sunny days. Crime is rampant. Public transportation is dirty, insecure (some) and very badly organized. Litter worsens inundations. Education quality is worsening day by day... The entire city is eating itself alive, slowly collapsing.

5:11 Wow, a lot sure happened in 7 years. Numbers are fun.

5:02 i know this is a pretty serious topic but i laughed so hard when this happened

ty intresting!

They should move away from building sky scrapers and build shorter and sturdier buildings.

Also, the bulk of the rain fall in the summer months. Winter is dry as a bone. Also, only part of the city is built on the lake bed. Aa it has expanded most of it has been built on solid ground. And yeah, potable water supply is an issue in parts of the city. And then there is the air pollution ...

Great vid. I really liked it. Quite the government mismanagement

The reason why The new capital was built over the defeated city of Tenochtitlán was: if the Spanish conquest the capital of the Aztecs they automatically heritage all the territories of the empire without fighting for each region

Love The Expanse reference! Pur & Kleen

Is the “largest city in the entire Western Hemisphere not only in the entire CONTINENT of América”

0:38 ugh.

Didn't something like this happen to Chicago too?

when you have the pacific coast and the east coast which are flat but chose to build your city on a lake🗿

it is higher than Denver both ways though

Mexico city is sinking, and also is surrounded by 200 Volcanos, not jus one!!! is situated in the middle of the Central Neo-volcanic shaft, also have Earthquakes and also have intense rainy months because was builded upon 5 Lakes, to name all : Xaltocan, Texcoco, Xochimilco, Zumpango and Xalco,and also has an history of many memorable epic events!!! So, I love my City which calls Mexico -Tenochtitlán since 1325!!! and Im sure I will die here, BECAUSE EVERY MAN WHO WAS HAPPY IN A PLACE WANTS TO FINISH HIS DAYS WHERE HE WAS HAPPY,I love my Monster City of Mexico!!!.

Amazing.

Great video, however Mexico City's seismicity comes not from volcanic origin, but from tectonic. There are 3 plate boundaries in the coastal zones of the Michoacan, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Guerrero and Chiapas States, which have caused most of the more devastating earthquakes in Mexico City (the 2017 earthquake, though, was caused not by these old faults, but for a relatively unknown fault located in the nearby state of Morelos). (Source: I am a born and raised geeky chilango (meaning from the capital))

Mexico city dying? It's been there For 500 years and it will stay standing fon another 500

nyc and mexico city the best cities in the world

The majority of mexico lives on a plateau in the central parts of the nation not the coast so yeah a central city that runs the nation from the central will attract a lot of people to move there and cause overpopulation.

Mexico City is amazing! Lets take it all in while we can no matter what its perils may be.

The old city of Tenochtitlán didn’t suffer floodings due to their infrastructure that they build to control the lake but the Spanish under their ignorance they destroy that

There is a lot of missinformation in this video bro, i think plenty of people already made a comment about it, but man, check your sources and if possible, contact a citizen of the my city.

Funny thing that that city has more people than the netherlands with only 18 million

don't tell me that I'm moving there in a few weeks 😥

Pueblan here: please do not move the capital to our beautiful city, thanks.

Greetings from this mess of placed called Mexico City

Yeah we should listen to Patrick Star and push Mexico City somewhere else!

Mexico City has had enough being the capital, it's time to move to another lesser-known city.

Gutes Video mi amigo 💪🏼🔥

08:07 please DONT make puebla the new capital! It will doom her xD

The government needs to restrict new residence and reduce what they have now...no new buildings...get serious about the situation!!!

Maybe not both ways..

5:18, just an observation my dude. México City's population is not 22 million. It's around 9 million people + 12 million people from the surrounding municipios (counties for you to understand) from the State of Mexico that are next to the city. México City is different from the State of México, they are two VERY different states within México. México City + those neighbouring municipios form the Metropolitan Zone of the México Valley (Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México, in spanish and ZMVM for short). Because Mexico City and the State of Mexico are two independent states, they have different goverment policies and have different planes regarding water. For example, two months ago, Mexico City's head of goverment, announced a plan to build water infraestructure to bring water from Michoacan, while the State of Mexico will not be considered in that infraestructure plan.

What if the Gulf of Mexico was land

Not this video coming out when I'm in Mexico City

I would like to go to Mexico

I have heard how CDMX was placed in the worst possible geology for a major city.

0:31 As a Denverite, I find that funny.

Mexico will be just fine!

I thought the earthquake was in 2017

Indonesia is moving its capital.

Florida and Miami are sinking and I think in the next 20 years, 3/4 of Florida will be under water, dont keep real estate there long term get in and get out...

9:10 who is Anna from Moscow? A youtuber? Someone who left a comment looking for work?

is so sad let tht city in hands of people who doesn't have idea how to be a big city.. maybe tha capital is going to be worst if they not have any invest on them... I would like the Vlley of Mexico as Cuautitlan Izcalli have more Canadian and American style and make it great.. Mexico is big but the next generation of Americans and Canadians are going to be losing as Spain did when the natives take power and the mestizos have to deal with the natives ogocentric minds... the capital is great but it has been suffer from the same ones... need new people more invest.

Berlin… you’re next!

Andrea Chapela, an amazing sci fi writer made some stories in a Mexico City already sunken 10/10

Great analysis! Mexico City has a grim future. the Spaniards had to move the capital when they could

Demographic evacuation of the city

Spain should pay them reparations to help them deal with the environmental issues.

Finally the chilangos are getting what they deserve *laughs in norteño*. jk i hope they figure this shit out.

ook ook

0:38 HAHAHAHAHAHA

City sinking, lack of water, earthquakes, pollution and nearby active volcanoes... Mexico should really consider moving the capital.

Change the capital

Fuerte tormenta de granizo en CDMX ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Za5zTcbROkM.html

Honey! The City is not only “Mexico City” it has twice that size including the metro area surrounding on the State of Mexico

“chales” (damn in Mexican Spanish)

I am Mexican and live in Mexico but I live in zona hoteleria qroo Mexico but I will visit the city in August 17

Mexico City residents angered by influx of California Americans and Canadians speaking English, Gentrifying areas of the city with high rent and privilege's

They gotta just move atp

I think Mexico City needs deslination plants so they can turn the ocean water into drinking water but anyway I don't think it's going to stop it from sinking though.