This chapter portrays the river basin trajectory of the Lerma–Chapala basin in central Mexico. It analyses the relationship between basin closure and the hydraulic mission, defined as the strong conviction that the state should develop hydraulic infrastructure to capture as much water as possible for human uses (Wester, 2008). In particular, it focuses on the role of the hydrocracy (hydraulic bureaucracy) in the creation of water overexploitation in the basin.