Abstract
Why is one of the most populous cities in the world built on land which has a history of subsidence, seismicity, and flooding? Mexico City illustrates how early decisions in a city's history can create difficult conditions for building well and living safely. The Aztecs had little choice but to live on the muddy islands in Lake Texcoco which now lie beneath downtown Mexico City. But the Spanish did have a choice. By selecting the island capital of Tenochtitlan for their colonial capital they bequeathed to succeeding generations problems which were apparent to them almost immediately after they began construction. Their solution to the hydraulic problems of the site only exacerbated ecological and seismic problems which the inhabitants of Mexico City face today, and destroyed the reason the first settlers inhabited the Valley of Mexico.
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