Lake Cuitzeo
Charm and fragility
In December 2024, I flew over Lake Cuitzeo with my drone, and what I found was an entity that still resists, a reflection that holds the memory of a territory in crisis.
Lake Cuitzeo, located in the state of Michoacán, is the second largest body of water in Mexico. Throughout history, it has been a natural mirror reflecting not only the sky but also the life and culture of the surrounding communities. Its waters have sustained entire families, provided refuge for migratory birds, and inspired travelers, photographers, and poets.
A lake at risk
However, what was once an endless expanse of water now faces an uncertain future. In recent decades, the lake has suffered severe environmental degradation: the overexploitation of aquifers, deforestation in the watershed, and the effects of climate change have drastically reduced its water level.
The progressive drying up of the lake not only threatens biodiversity but also the livelihoods of hundreds of families who depend on fishing, agriculture, and local tourism. What is merely a landscape for many is their daily sustenance for others, and every liter of water lost represents a blow to their economic and cultural stability.
Added to this is pollution from domestic and industrial discharges, which has deteriorated water quality. Water hyacinth, an invasive species, covers large areas of the lake, suffocating aquatic life and complicating fishing activities. These combined problems have placed Lake Cuitzeo in a critical situation.
The lake is also home to a significant diversity of migratory birds, which use it as a refuge on their journeys between North and South America. Its degradation threatens to disrupt these natural routes, altering ecosystems far larger than are immediately apparent.
But the Cuitzeo crisis is not only environmental: it is also social and cultural. Along its shores, communities maintain centuries-old traditions linked to water, corn, wetlands, and artisanal fishing. With the lake's shrinking, these traditions are threatened, jeopardizing a cultural heritage that forms part of the identity of Michoacán and of Mexico as a whole.
The lake's recovery is possible, but it requires urgent action: effective public policies, reforestation programs, sustainable water management, and public awareness. Every effort counts in giving back to Lake Cuitzeo some of what we have taken from it.
The images presented here seek to capture both the beauty of this ecosystem and the fragility of its existence. To contemplate Lake Cuitzeo is also to assume the responsibility of protecting it, because its preservation is not just a matter of landscape: it is a commitment to the future of life, culture, and water in Mexico.
