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Water Management in a Mega-City (NEW)
Mexico City, Mexico
Arrive Date: June 15, 2020 End Date: July 1, 2020
Program Overview
This seminar focuses on the evolution of water management for megacities such as Mexico City from pre-Aztec times to the present. Mexico City’s center was once Tenochtitlan, a city built in the middle of a lake with a sophisticated water system that supplied water to more than half a million people in the 1500s. Using Mexico City as a case study, we will examine aqueducts, sewer systems, and water treatment plants as well as “green” infrastructure, to understand how water is distributed to large metropolitan areas. Program highlights will include the National Anthropology Museum where students will meet “Tlaloc,” the god of rain, a 30-feet sculpture and an iconic figure of the Aztecs, and Diego Rivera’s mural at the outlet of the Mexico City aqueduct.
Taught in: English
Max Enrollment: 12
Program Coordinator: Ashley Arvanites

Samuel Sandoval Solis
Program Instructor, Land, Air and Water Resources
Samuel Sandoval Solis is an Associate Professor and Specialist in Water Resources and is responsible for the water management and policy research program at UC Davis. Learn more…
Courses
Hydrologic Science (HYD) 198. Directed Group Study (3 units)
Prerequisites
None
Program Highlights
- Study water management from the Aztec megacities to the world’s largest, Mexico City.
- Visit Teotihuacán, the largest ancient city in Mexico, and Templo Mayor, the former Aztec capital.
- Study side-by-side with students from the Instituto Politecnico Nacional.
- Experience the Cutzamala aqueduct, where art and science meet.
- Learn about water conservation from local experts.
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