“The story of Tenochtitlán, the Nahuatl name for Mexico, is written in water.” - Marco Coello, Watch nominator for Canal Nacional, Mexico City.

In this video, which was recorded during a Watch Day celebration at Canal Nacional, soprano singer Maria Reyna sings about the canal in Nahuatl and then Spanish to honor the importance of the Canal for the local community.

Over 2,000 years old, Mexico City’s Canal Nacional is one of the last examples of the extensive network of canals which ran through the city before its expansion in the 20th century. After the city revealed plans to transform it into an expressway, local neighbors and specialists came together to protect the site. This led to its selection as one of 16 public spaces to be recovered under Mexico City's 2019-2024 Environmental and Climate Change program. Community groups like the Fundacion López de La Rosa, leading the recovery effort, are now working to ensure they have a say in the future of the unique canal.

Canal Nacional was included on the 2020 World Monuments Watch and supported by American Express to encourage the actions of local stakeholders and residents to save the site and insert it into a strategy of revitalization and sustainable urban development.

Learn More: https://www.wmf.org/project/canal-nac...

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