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Chinampa Floating Fields of the Valley of Mexico
Chinampa are man-made floating island farmland enclosed with reeds, silt, and willow stakes in the wetlands of the Valley of Mexico, achieving high-y…
Timeline
- c. 1100–1300Lake Texcoco and Xochimilco waters · Mexico CityCity-states of the Valley of Mexico built rectangular fields on lake shallows by layering willow stakes, reed mats, and lake mud, forming floating islands adjustable to water levels, and dug canals for circulating irrigation.
- 1311–1320Xochimilco in the southern Valley of Mexico · Mexico CityIn the early 14th century CE, chinampa already provided the city-states of the Valley of Mexico with stable high yields of maize, beans, squash, and flowers, supporting the population expansion and market trade of emerging centers like Tenochtitlan.
- c. 1428–1521Valley of Mexico · Mexico CityThe Aztec Empire used chinampa as the basis of tribute and rations; floating field area and canal networks reached a historical peak; after the conquest, drainage works changed the lake layout, but places like Xochimilco still retain some traditional chinampa cultivation.
Sources
- Chinampa Agriculture — William T. Sanders (1976)
- Aztec Agriculture — Richard F. Townsend (2009)