What if the Valley of Mexico was still dominated by water? What if the conquistadors had not emptied the Lago de Texcoco? What if, instead of Periféricos and Viaductos, waterways still provided Mexico City's primary arteries for transport? Would it look anything like the few canals that are left today in Xochimilco? You lean back on the lip of your trajinera, drinking and enjoying the company of family, and closing your eyes, you conjure a Tenochtitlán you never saw.
What would it look like today?
In a certain future, I picture chinampas growing on rooftops. Maize, legumes, herbs, succulents, feeding us from hanging gardens. I picture fresh water flowing again from the old aqueduct. I picture clear vistas every single day, as far away as the volcanoes. I picture cruising home on Eje Central not in a bus or bocho, but on a water-taxi.
* Come to think of it: We should be careful with what we wish for.