Xochimilco, the nest of culture and color in Mexico. Recognized as the tourist spot of flowers and nature, this site is consecrated as the residence of Mexican culture. However, an intricate neighborhood that floats on the water is the jewel of this place. With 160 hectares of cultivation, the Aztec floating gardens are the heritage of a civilization that practiced sustainable eating that are now known as chinampas.
Distinguished by the name chinampa, which comes from the Nahuatl chinampan which means “in the fence of reeds”, these fertile and floating lands are the legacy of a sustainable food initiative that was not recognized as such at that time.
It is said that for the Aztecs the chinampas were the opportunity to recover arable land in the middle of a vast lake. To this day, in the Aztec floating gardens of what is now Xochimilco, corn stalks, lettuce, ahuehuetes and bamboo can be seen.
The vegetation spreads in an extraordinary way, as if we were discovering the land of edible and natural wonders. On the sides of these floating lands are the chinamperos, those who till the land and irrigate the crops.
An aroma of fresh herbs and bucolic wetlands emerges everywhere, which easily permeates the senses. But, beyond the natural wonder that these gardens imply, their existence has a valuable purpose for their inhabitants.
Chinampas that feed a culture
In the 15th century, the Aztecs took reeds and stakes to create these underwater fences. One of the keys to its success is its location in the shallow lake, in addition to the essential union between earth and mud to shape these crop squares.
With the passage of time the chinampas were transformed, some are used and others no longer, but despite this in this environment the essence of an immortal culture is perceived. Above all, with the arrival of the pandemic in many of these places the lack of food became visible.
Then, like an ancestral cure that comes to heal with wisdom, the chinampas were reborn for many of the natives. Large industrial foods were relegated and a renewed interest in agricultural tradition arose.
Fresh, natural and traditional foods returned to the interest of the public and that of the owners of these Aztec floating gardens. There was a reconnection with pre-Hispanic roots, with the art of sustainable and truly organic food.
It is the mixture of the fertility of the soil, ancient knowledge, present-day obstacles and the desire to save cultural heritage that maintains the chinampas as one of the most valuable legacies of Mexico.
Within these corridors of life, nature and agriculture flourish. From the base there are the trees like the ahuejote that support the chinampa, then the earth and the water that nourishes it and then the beans, the pumpkin and the chilies in turn maintain the nitrogen in the soil, the necessary shade and protection. for the ground.
In each chinampa everything works as an extraordinary symbiosis. Modernization processes have undoubtedly distanced us from these sustainable survival techniques, but it is fascinating to consider that there are still corners where the Aztec floating gardens are still alive and with a promising future.
Images: Circular Water Stories