Dreaming of Dry Land

Environmental Transformation in Colonial Mexico City

Nonfiction, History, Americas, Mexico
Cover of the book Dreaming of Dry Land by Vera S. Candiani, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Vera S. Candiani ISBN: 9780804791076
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: June 4, 2014
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Vera S. Candiani
ISBN: 9780804791076
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: June 4, 2014
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

Not long after the conquest, the City of Mexico's rise to become the crown jewel in the Spanish empire was compromised by the lakes that surrounded it. Their increasing propensity to overflow destroyed wealth and alarmed urban elites, who responded with what would become the most transformative and protracted drainage project in the early modern America—the Desagüe de Huehuetoca. Hundreds of technicians, thousands of indigenous workers, and millions of pesos were marshaled to realize a complex system of canals, tunnels, dams, floodgates, and reservoirs.

Vera S. Candiani's Dreaming of Dry Land weaves a narrative that describes what colonization was and looked like on the ground, and how it affected land, water, biota, humans, and the relationship among them, to explain the origins of our built and unbuilt landscapes. Connecting multiple historiographical traditions—history of science and technology, environmental history, social history, and Atlantic history—Candiani proposes that colonization was a class, not an ethnic or nation-based phenomenon, occurring simultaneously on both sides of an Atlantic, where state-building and empire-building were intertwined.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Not long after the conquest, the City of Mexico's rise to become the crown jewel in the Spanish empire was compromised by the lakes that surrounded it. Their increasing propensity to overflow destroyed wealth and alarmed urban elites, who responded with what would become the most transformative and protracted drainage project in the early modern America—the Desagüe de Huehuetoca. Hundreds of technicians, thousands of indigenous workers, and millions of pesos were marshaled to realize a complex system of canals, tunnels, dams, floodgates, and reservoirs.

Vera S. Candiani's Dreaming of Dry Land weaves a narrative that describes what colonization was and looked like on the ground, and how it affected land, water, biota, humans, and the relationship among them, to explain the origins of our built and unbuilt landscapes. Connecting multiple historiographical traditions—history of science and technology, environmental history, social history, and Atlantic history—Candiani proposes that colonization was a class, not an ethnic or nation-based phenomenon, occurring simultaneously on both sides of an Atlantic, where state-building and empire-building were intertwined.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book Captives and Corsairs by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book Refugees, Women, and Weapons by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book International Law and the Future of Freedom by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book The World of Freedom by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book The Hierarchies of Slavery in Santos, Brazil, 1822–1888 by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book Sacrificing Families by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book Civic Engagements by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book California School Law by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book The Book of Shem by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book Wild Life by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book Simple Habits for Complex Times by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book The River People in Flood Time by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book Victims' Rights and Victims' Wrongs by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book Victory for Hire by Vera S. Candiani
Cover of the book No Billionaire Left Behind by Vera S. Candiani
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy