Oh nice I've never infodumped on /g/ before

Mesoamerican (Aztec, Maya etc) history and archeology autist here, ask me your questions about Mesoamerican technology

Pic related, with the bottom row of images showing some of the major reservoirs in the urban core of the Maya city of Tikal, and how they are networked with channels and dams which can be opened to permit water between them to avoid overflow, and there being some branched channels with switching mechanisms to choose where the water goes.

It's not shown here but much of the major buildings and plazas also have drains/channels built into them so rain flows into the reservoirs way from other infrastructure, and the reservoirs also have filter systems (some also having jungle fruit tree groves/botanical gardens around their edges/shores), with the broader water network here also extending out into the suburban sprawl many dozens of kilometers out with smaller reservoirs and into agricultural irrigation systems.

Keep also in mind the architecture was painted with murals and such, the grey color you see today is because the paint and plaster over the masonry is worn away, so the grey seen in the model in the image isn't accurate either