Gobernar las Aguas, Gestionar la Ciudad

This article analyzes the piping of rivers and the closure of traditional canals (navigable and agricultural) in Mexico City between 1930 and 1970. It argues that the expansion of the combined sewer system dissolved the distinctions among rivers, traditional canals, and drainage channels by mixing stormwater and wastewater within a single infrastructure. This integration altered the functions and meanings of surface waters, reshaping the aquatic landscape of the Mexican capital. It further contends that channelization and drainage relied on a hegemonic hygienist discourse that portrayed surface flows as sources of infection. In this context, paving sealed waterways and enabled new roadways, consolidating an urban model oriented toward motorized circulation. The article examines the hydraulic works, regulatory provisions, and institutional actors involved in this process, showing how these technical, sanitary, and political decisions redefined the role of rivers and canals within the combined sewer system

Closure (psychology) · Drainage · Drainage system (geomorphology) · Hegemony · Politics · Stormwater · Urban expansion · Medical and Pharmaceutic Studies · Mexican Socioeconomic and Environmental Dynamics · Water Governance and Infrastructure