Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.
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Desague del Valle de Mexico. Plano Topografico entre Zumpango y Tequisquiac con el Trazo de la Linea Definitiva Para El Tunel 1866.
Stock#: 56392 Map Maker: Anonymous
Date: 1866 Place: Mexico City Color: Uncolored Condition: VG Size: 11 x 15.5 inches
Price: SOLD
Description:
Dynamic Map of the Historic Grand Canal of the Valley of Mexico
Detailed map showing the topographic features of the area of Zumpango, with Tequisquiac (Tequixquiac), in the Valley of Mexico.
The map shows the mountainous terrain near Zumpango, including the names of hills, or cerros, as well as towns, roads, canals, ridges, and rivers. A prominent feature is Lake Zumpango to the south, one of the last remaining parts of the massive lake system of the Valley of Mexico.
The main goal of the map is to share the plans for a drainage tunnel that would stretch from Zumpango to Tequixquiac. This was part of the one of the largest engineering projects of the time, the construction of
Drawer Ref: Mexico Stock#: 56392 Page 1 of 3 Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.
7407 La Jolla Boulevard www.raremaps.com (858) 551-8500 La Jolla, CA 92037 [email protected]
Desague del Valle de Mexico. Plano Topografico entre Zumpango y Tequisquiac con el Trazo de la Linea Definitiva Para El Tunel 1866. the Grand Canal to provide Mexico City and its environs in the valley with a drainage outlet. The valley, surrounded by mountains, has no natural drainage routes and was suffering from the influx of people settling in the area. The proposed tunnel route is marked by a straight line stretching from A to B on the map.
In addition, the print includes a vertical cross-section of the tunnel route, showing the water level as compared to the elevation. There is also a geological profile explaining the types of clay, rock, and soil through which the important tunnel would pass.
The Grand Canal and water management in the Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico’s history is deeply inscribed with efforts to contain, channel, and capture water. The valley is surrounded by high mountains and was originally filled with lakes and marshy areas. Agriculture near the lake began 7,000 years ago with several early civilizations competing to control access and farming near its shores. After the fall of Teotihuacan in 600-800 AD, several other city states fought for prominence in the region. In 1325 the Aztecs founded Tenochtitlan on the western side of the lakes, developing their capital city on an island via a system of dams and canals. This city became today’s Federal District.
When the Spanish arrived in 1519, they found a valley containing a huge lake system; from north to south these interconnected lakes were Zumpango, Xaltocan, Texcoco, Xochimilco, and Chalco. Especially around Tenochititlan, built on reclaimed land in Lake Texcoco, and in Lakes Xochimilco and Chalco, Aztecs farmed on chinampas, artificial islands located on shallow lake beds.
After the Spanish took Tenochtitlan, they never repaired the dams, making flooding a recurring problem in the region. To stem the floods, the Spanish attempted to drain the lake, but drainage was not entirely successful until the mid-twentieth century. It did result, however, and along with increased settlement, in the diminution of the lakes; by the later nineteenth-century, as this map shows, Lake Zumpango was an entirely separate body of water.
This print trumpets part of a huge engineering project: providing the Valley of Mexico and the Mexican capital with drainage. This effort is known as the Grand Canal and it is still in use today. The Canal was one of many large infrastructure projects undertaken during the second half of the nineteenth century. While it was started prior to his seven terms in office, it was finished under the long presidency of General Porfirio Díaz (1877-1880, 1884-1911). This period, 1876 to 1911, is often referred to as the Porfiriato.
The Grand Canal was built with capital from British companies, among other sources. The goal was to
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7407 La Jolla Boulevard www.raremaps.com (858) 551-8500 La Jolla, CA 92037 [email protected]
Desague del Valle de Mexico. Plano Topografico entre Zumpango y Tequisquiac con el Trazo de la Linea Definitiva Para El Tunel 1866. transport the Valley of Mexico’s waste water away from the city and region; the Tequixquiac tunnel was an important part of this effort. When initially completed, the Grand Canal operated by gravity alone. However, by 1990, the subsiding of Mexico City—the urban area sinks around three feet each year—meant that the Canal was practically level, requiring pumps to evacuate waste.
Detailed Condition:
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