The magazine that analyzes the power of Mexican municipalities in the economy, governance and Mexico's relationship with the world.

A municipality can wait until urban growth exposes its infrastructure deficiencies, or it can build the systems needed to sustain that growth before the problems escalate. Poncitlán is attempting to follow the second path: turning wastewater sanitation into a tool for organizing its territory, reducing environmental risk, and expanding its economic development potential. Poncitlán, a municipality in Jalisco's Lake Chapala region, had 53,659 residents in 2020. Water intersects

In Poncitlán, a wastewater treatment plant is not a minor public work: it is a test of government. If it operates, connects to the drainage network and publishes results, it can turn a history of water-related neglect into a conversation about institutional capacity, public health and municipal development. In Poncitlán, water can no longer be treated as an environmental issue detached from the economy. It is a test of government. For years, the municipality has carried an un