Tenochtitlán, the ancient capital of the Aztec Empire, was built on an island in Lake Texcoco, in the Valley of Mexico.

This lakeside location made it a floating city with an extensive system of canals for transportation, trade, and agriculture, similar to the canals of Venice. The Aztecs ingeniously expanded the land using chinampas, which were floating gardens made of mud and reeds.

The city housed up to 200,000 inhabitants in the 15th century, with a planned urban design that included temples, markets, and elevated causeways connecting to the mainland. Spanish conquerors, such as Hernán Cortés, described it as a "Venice of the New World" for its watery beauty and engineering complexity.

After the conquest in 1521, the Spanish destroyed much of Tenochtitlán and drained the lake to found Mexico City on its ruins. This has caused modern problems such as land subsidence, but archaeological remains like the Templo Mayor preserve its historical legacy.