Viewed from the window of an ascending aircraft departing Mexico City, the amateur photograph (Photo 1) captures a key aspect of the (unofficial geochronological epoch of the) Anthropocene (Crutzen, Nature 415:23, 2002): the rampant hyper-urbanization of megacities in the Global South, which seals and contaminates the natural soils. In this case, it focuses on the northeastern part of the Mexican Basin, situated within an eco-region characterized by temperate mountain ranges and mixed conifer and oak forests, which forms part of the Mexican Neovolcanic Belt between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The panoramic view, slightly obscured by ubiquitous smog, reveals how the urban sprawl of Mexico City, home to roughly 23 million inhabitants, gradually covers the mountain ranges with concrete structures and paved roads. This snapshot vividly illustrates the drastic and ongoing alteration of the soils in this hyper-urbanized area, serving as a documentary image of the existing conflict between biological and geological diversity on one side, and human-caused environmental footprints on the other. Moreover, the geological Deep Time of millions of years collides with the short cycles of human civilization, exemplified by the emergence of an informal settlement that has expanded in recent decades.