Lake Texcoco was one of the great natural lakes of the Valley of Mexico and is known by ear as the place of the Aztec island city Tenochtitlan. And now, in place of the basin of the once-existing lake, the densely populated capital of Mexico is located.
Initial characteristics of Lake Texcoco
- Depth: very shallow — only a few metres (Texcoco was a broad, shallow salt lake)
- Surface elevation is 7.349 feet
- Square is 5439 acres
| What it was | The largest, lowest and saltiest of the five lakes of the Valley of Mexico — at its greatest extent some 5,670 km² |
| Why it matters | The Aztec capital Tenochtitlán, today’s Mexico City, was founded on an island in it in 1325 |
| Why it was salty | It had no outflow (endorheic), so minerals concentrated as the water evaporated |
| Today | Mostly drained to salt marshes and the El Caracol salt spiral — but partly revived as the 14,000-hectare Parque Ecológico Lago de Texcoco (opened 2024) |
| Part of | The basin’s lake system, with Xochimilco and Chalco to the south |
The lake that became Mexico City — and why it was salt
When the Mexica founded Tenochtitlán on a marshy islet in 1325, they were settling in the middle of a great shallow lake with no way out. Because nothing drained from Texcoco, its water slowly turned brackish and then salty as the sun pulled the moisture off it — which is why the Aztecs built the famous dike of Nezahualcóyotl to wall off a freshwater lagoon around their city. It was a brilliant balancing act, and it ended the moment Cortés besieged the city in 1521 and the dams were broken. With the defences gone, Mexico City flooded again and again, and the Spanish made the fateful decision simply to drain the lake away. The first great cut, the Tajo de Nochistongo, was hacked through the hills by Enrico Martínez from 1607; the work went on for three centuries and was only “finished” with the Deep Drainage tunnels of 1967. The cost was enormous: the old lakebed turned to salty dust flats, the city lost the spring that fed its aquifer, and as that aquifer was pumped dry Mexico City began to sink — by something like ten metres over the last hundred years. The eerie spiral of El Caracol, an 800-hectare salt-evaporation pond, still traces the lake’s mineral ghost on the plain.
Lake Texcoco reborn: the cancelled airport and the new park
For most of the last century the story was only of loss — until very recently. A huge new airport, the NAIM, was half-built on the dry Texcoco lakebed before the project was cancelled by national referendum in 2018, partly to save what remained of the wetland. In its place the government created the Parque Ecológico Lago de Texcoco, a vast green space of around 14,000 hectares inaugurated in 2024 that has quickly become one of the most important public spaces in the eastern valley, drawing tens of thousands of visitors for walking, cycling, sport and birdwatching. Among its restored waters, oval Lake Nabor Carrillo — once drained for the airport — has turned blue again and filled with herons and shorebirds. After four hundred years, a piece of Lake Texcoco is genuinely coming back to life.
A birdwatcher’s wetland on the city’s edge
What surprises most people is that this scrap of saline wetland on the rim of a megacity is one of the great bird sites of central Mexico. In a good winter, counts run into the hundreds of thousands — recent seasons have tallied well over 200,000 migratory birds, with ducks, avocets, stilts, gulls, white pelicans and even flocks of flamingos dropping in on their long journeys, alongside species that had not been seen here in years. For a casual visitor it is an easy half-day from the centre of Mexico City, and for serious birders it is a reminder that the ancient lake, for all that was done to it, is still a living flyway.
History
Long ago, before the melting of glaciers, Lake Texcoco was enormous in size and covered almost the entire Mexican valley. However, climate change between 11 and 6 millennium BC led to the aridity of the territories. The water in the lake was becoming less and less.
As early as 600–800 AD, the first state entities appeared near Lake Texcoco. This time falls on the golden age of the Aztecs. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Aztecs built a large island. They experienced difficulties with the supply of clean fresh water and tried to solve it with the help of dams that separated the lake and rainwater. This they managed to glory. Since then, this place has formed a significant cultural heritage. That it marked the beginning of the existence of today’s Mexico City.
Wild nature
In various sources and scientific records of researchers of the Middle Ages, there are references to the richness of the natural world of Lake Texcoco. A huge number of waterfowl, fish, amphibians, and reptiles inhabited the territory of the lake.
All year round, it was possible to observe flowering plants and a variety of other representatives of the flora, especially algae, on Lake Texcoco.
What happened to the lake?
Unfortunately, Lake Texcoco has ceased to exist. It all started with a major flood of the early 17th century. Mexico City authorities were afraid that a new wave of elements would come and destroy the city. In this regard, it was decided to drain the lake to ensure safety from flooding.
This did not lead to the best environmental consequences. Most of the soil began to suffer from drought. And even now, the population of Mexico City is experiencing difficulties with drinking water.
Beautiful places around
If you are already in Mexico City, how can you not walk around the city and see all the beautiful places? The old district of the city is filled with interesting architecture, monuments of ancient cultures and historical monuments.
No matter where you are. The main thing is to get to the central square of the Constitution of El Zocalo. From there go all the roads to the most famous places.
For example, the National Palace is a famous building of the 16th century. Here always met the ministry and members of the Supreme Court. The palace recreated the historic meeting rooms of important people. The palace is open from 9 am to 4.30 pm. And the entrance is free.
Templo Mayor – on the site of this architectural monument were the ruins of the most important temple of the Aztecs. Now in this museum, you can find ancient artifacts of the Aztec times. The entrance ticket costs about 3 US dollars, and on Sunday admission is free. In addition, between this museum and the square is a beautiful fountain. Of course, you can take a look at it and make great photos for free.
Life and comfort
The area of old Mexico City is a combination of aristocracy and wealth. Here everything is well-maintained at the highest level.
In Mexico City, there are a lot of housing options for renting for daily or long term rent. Go to Booking.com or Airbnb and see a lot of suitable options. If you want you can rent a room or an apartment in the center of the city with an excellent view of Mexico City.
This area is considered prestigious to live. Therefore, it is difficult to find an inexpensive house or apartment. But you can easily fulfill the dream of living in a castle with its own garden and territory of 9000 acres. Here is this wonderful house worth about 12 000 000 US dollars.
Yes, in a fabulously beautiful area, fabulously great prices. But if you can afford it, then, by all means, you will enjoy life among the greenery, noble buildings and the atmosphere of culture and art.
The best way to get to the area of Lake Texcoco
To find yourself in the territory where Lake Texcoco was previously located, you do not need a difficult route. Mexico City is a megalopolis with the most developed transport structure. Metro, bus, and taxi are the most popular forms of transport.
From the airport, it is easy to get to the nearest metro stations by bus, and from Terminal 1 you can walk there. Schedule and bus prices check at the information desk at the airport.
It will be enough for you to take the subway for 30 cents to any of their central stations, for example, Zocalo or Pino Suarez. And then already within walking distance, you can watch whatever you want in the city center.
In any case, you can take a taxi. Then the trip, for example, in 20 minutes will cost you ten dollars. And from the airport to the central square can be reached at $ 27.
From the neighboring cities, you can also take suburban buses. All long-distance bus stations in Mexico City can be found on the website of bus timetables at the link at the end of the article.
Links
- Airport of Mexico –https://www.mexico-airport.com/
- Mexico City maps –https://mexicometro.org/
- Mexico City bus schedule –https://www.checkmybus.com/mexico-city-df
Frequently asked questions about Lake Texcoco
Does Lake Texcoco still exist?
Mostly it was drained centuries ago, but remnants survive — salt marshes, the oval Lake Nabor Carrillo and the El Caracol ponds — and a large part has been revived as the new Parque Ecológico Lago de Texcoco.
Why was Mexico City built on Lake Texcoco?
The Aztecs founded their capital, Tenochtitlán, on an island in the lake in 1325; modern Mexico City grew over the drained lakebed.
Why was Lake Texcoco salty?
It was an endorheic lake with no outflow, so dissolved minerals concentrated as the water evaporated. The Aztecs built a dike to keep the water around their city fresher.
Why was Lake Texcoco drained?
To stop the repeated, devastating floods of Mexico City after the Spanish conquest. Drainage works ran from the Nochistongo cut of 1607 to the Deep Drainage tunnels completed in 1967.
What is the Parque Ecológico Lago de Texcoco?
A roughly 14,000-hectare ecological park opened in 2024 on the site of the cancelled Texcoco airport, with restored lakes and wetlands, trails and sports areas on the eastern edge of Mexico City.
Can you see birds at Lake Texcoco?
Yes — it is one of central Mexico’s most important wetlands, hosting hundreds of thousands of migratory birds in winter, including ducks, avocets, pelicans and flamingos.
What is El Caracol at Lake Texcoco?
El Caracol (“the snail”) is a giant spiral salt-evaporation works of about 800 hectares on the old lakebed, run by Sosa Texcoco, that uses the lake’s natural salinity.
Is Mexico City sinking because Lake Texcoco was drained?
Yes. Draining the lake and over-pumping the underlying aquifer have caused parts of Mexico City to subside by around ten metres over the past century.
