When news about Tenochtitlan (nowadays Mexico City), the capital of the Aztec Empire, started to reach Europe around the time of the conquest by the Spanish Conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés, the city was soon labelled the ‘Venice of the New World’. This was not a minor statement, since in the early 16th century Venice was one of the largest cities in the world, famous both for its wealth and distinctive topography. What could have led to this link between cities located in two completely different cultural contexts? The answer is simple: water. Both cities were defined by their aquatic settings, with complex networks of canals and bridges. They represented prime examples of how living with water could be used to people’s advantage, developing prosperous urban centres with wide- reaching spheres of influence.
In the case of Venice, the city had gradually developed on multiple islands of the Venetian Lagoon to become a major maritime and economic power, with dominions extending over the Adriatic and large parts of the eastern Mediterranean. Its characteristic layout is still visible today, making it a prime tourist attraction due to its iconic canals, footbridges, and gondolas. However, this comes alongside numerous challenges in terms of handling historic building preservation, rising water levels, and overtourism.
Regarding Mexico City, the landscape has experienced a dramatic change since its heyday as the Aztec capital, just before it was destroyed and subsequently transformed into a colonial metropolis. Located within Lake Texcoco, at the time of the Spanish conquest, Tenochtitlan was among the most populous cities in the world, with an estimated population of around 200,000 inhabitants. Founded in the 14th century, the Aztec city had developed on a number of islands, including both natural and human- made ones. It was a vibrant urban centre with canals and canoes, streets and bridges, marketplaces and residential zones. Monumental architecture included temples and palaces, with the Spanish Conquistador Bernal Díaz describing ‘cues [pyramids] and buildings rising from the water’. The so-called ‘chinampas’, artificial islands that were agriculturally highly productive, were also a defining feature of Tenochtitlan.
