At the entrance of Lake Texcoco Ecological Park, there’s a map explaining the premises: a gym, playgrounds, cabins, historic monuments, soccer, baseball, and volleyball courts, lakes, bike routes. You can also see on the map a red dot stating “you are here,” and in a corner, the Conagua logo. The park, located further in, lies in the middle of an ecological reserve, like a hidden ghost amongst the trees. The park is a specter that weeds and brush have devoured with the passing of time. Snails have invaded it and stagnant puddles of rainwater turn it bleak. The sunlight, the air, and the salt coughed up from the ground all have taken their toll. Along the park’s roads, the light posts watch over the perimeter like guardians of a land no one has treaded in years. Each post is crowned by a solar cell, but, at night, the park needs no artificial light. A bluish-gray wooden cabin, standing on high stilts, completes now more than four years of solitary life. [...]
Dereliction
in ENCYCLOPEDIA