{"product_id":"the-aquatic-metropolis-urban-design-and-environmental-change-in-tenochtitlan-mexico-city-9780271100418","title":"The Aquatic Metropolis: Urban Design and Environmental Change in Tenochtitlan-Mexico City","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor centuries, both the Aztec and the Spanish sought to control catastrophic flooding in Tenochtitlan and later Mexico City, but\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003etheir responses were about more than just engineering. What might seem like straightforward hydraulic projects emerge, under rigorous examination, as complex intersections of visual cultures and philosophical worldviews about nature and cities.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlending art history with the histories of cartography, science, technology, and the environment, this book offers a nuanced account of Mexico City's urban development. At its core is the visual culture of water--maps, drawings, and paintings by both indigenous and European artists that expose the differing epistemologies shaping Aztec and Spanish approaches to urban planning. Unlike the Aztec, who used causeways to adapt the city to its aquatic environment, the Spanish employed European methods of hydraulic engineering to overcome New World nature. In addition to being a technical solution, this drainage project served a philosophical purpose: to secure a new historical genesis for Mexico City by rooting it in the history of European antiquity and classical architecture, and by emancipating it from Tenochtitlan's most iconic feature--water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Aquatic Metropolis\u003c\/i\u003e is essential reading for scholars and students of environmental history, art history, urban studies, and Latin American studies. It shows that Mexico City's modern flood crises are not just contemporary problems but the outcome of cultural attitudes and decisions that have deep roots in the colonial past. Understanding this history offers critical tools for addressing the city's future amid climate change.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John F. López\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Penn State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/05\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e Buildings, Landscapes, and Societies\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 232\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.92lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.33h x 9.29w x 0.91d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780271100418","brand":"Penn State University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46019161948297,"sku":"9780271100418","price":69.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_d3d84a21-05da-4b4f-ac16-3623db444dcb.jpg?v=1777406211","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/the-aquatic-metropolis-urban-design-and-environmental-change-in-tenochtitlan-mexico-city-9780271100418","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}