Lake Texcoco
Lake Texcoco (Spanish: Lago de Texcoco; Nahuatl languages: Tetzco(h)co) was a natural lake within the Anahuac or Valley of Mexico. Lake Texcoco is best known for an island situated on the western side of the lake where the Mexica built the city of Mēxihco Tenōchtitlan, which would later become the capital of the Aztec Empire. After the Spanish conquest, efforts to control flooding led to most of the lake being drained.
| Lake Texcoco | |
|---|---|
| Lago de Texcoco Tetzco(h)co | |
Lake Texcoco Lake Texcoco | |
| Location | Central Mexico |
| Coordinates | 19°25′10″N 99°08′00″W |
| Type | Former pluvial and paleo lake |
| Surface area | 2,100 square miles (5,400 km2) |
| Max. depth | over 500 feet (150 m) |
| Surface elevation | 7,349 feet (2,240 m) |
| Official name | Lago de Texcoco |
| Designated | 5 June 2022 |
| Reference no. | 2469 |
The entire lake basin is now almost completely occupied by Mexico City, the capital of the present-day nation of Mexico. Drainage of the lake has led to serious ecological and human consequences: the local climate and water availability have changed considerably, contributing to water scarcity in the area; subsequent groundwater extraction leads to land subsidence under much of the city; and native species endemic to the lake region have become severely endangered or extinct due to ecosystem change, such as the axolotl.
After the cancellation of the Mexico City Texcoco Airport, the government initiated a major restoration project of a significant part of the lake in the form of the Lake Texcoco Ecological Park, 14,000 hectares of public space and ecological restoration.