“Reservoirs of Memory” explored the central role of water infrastructure in the social, economic, and urban development of San Juan and neighboring communities from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. Framed around the museum’s own historic cistern, the exhibition traced how access to municipal water shaped neighborhoods, public health initiatives, domestic life, and the rhythms of daily commerce. Using archival maps, municipal ledgers, period photographs, oral-history recordings, and recovered plumbing components, the show presented a layered narrative that shifted the visitor’s focus from engineering alone to the lived experience of water.

A sequence of thematic galleries guided visitors from the macro—city planning decisions and colonial-era utilities—into intimate domestic scenes recreated with period fixtures, laundry implements, and recorded family accounts describing rationing, festivals tied to water, and childhood play around public fountains. Objects were paired with touchable materials (ceramic pipe sections, valve wheels) and interactive digital maps that allowed guests to toggle between San Juan’s street plans from 1890, 1935, and 1965 to see how reservoir-related decisions redirected growth and commerce.

A central component was a micro-exhibit on public health: comparative mortality charts, anti-cholera campaign posters, and early municipal efforts to chlorinate and test supplies, contextualized by first-person testimonies from nurses and public servants. The educational program included guided “water walks” to local fountains and a hands-on school workshop on historical water testing methods.

Rather than romanticize infrastructure, the exhibition invited reflection on environmental stewardship, social equity in access to services, and the cultural meanings we attach to water. It concluded with a contemporary art installation — a sound piece composed of recorded cistern drips and people's memories — that linked technical history to emotional landscape. Local residents contributed objects and reflections, making the exhibition both a historical account and a community-curated memory project.