Abstract The modern Mexico Megacity occupies almost a third of the surface of the Valley of Mexico, and it is exposed to natural and man-induced hazards affecting many aspects of urban development. Land subsidence is a geo-hazard imposing important constraints in the urban development by the gradual decrease in elevation of the land surface. This is caused either naturally, by the extraction of water, oil, minerals, or gas from the subsurface, or by the interaction between natural and anthropogenic forces. In this field trip guide we examine regional land subsidence and the vulnerability to fracturing of the lacustrine soils. Groundwater has been over-exploited for human consumption in Mexico City during the past 70 years, leading to a dramatic decline of piezometric levels and the associated land and subsoil deformation. Interdisciplinary research from geologists and engineers may play an important role in understanding the relationship between geological processes and the suitability of land for urban use.