Aztec Floating-Garden Farming

Timeline

1. c. 1100–1325Xochimilco · Valley of MexicoResidents of the Lake Texcoco system enclosed lakebed silt with wooden fences and grew maize, beans, and vegetables, forming high-yield, continuously croppable artificial island fields; before the Mexica arrived in the valley, Xochimilco was already a center of floating-garden agriculture.
2. 1381–1390Lake zones around Tenochtitlan · Valley of MexicoIn the 1380s, as Tenochtitlan's population grew, floating gardens were expanded on a large scale around the city and neighboring islands, with produce transported by canoe through canals to the central market; high floating-garden yields helped the capital move beyond pure tribute dependence and strengthen its food security.
3. 1428–1521Valley of Mexico · Valley of MexicoAfter the Triple Alliance was established, the floating-garden system spread across the entire valley lake network, becoming the foundational agricultural technology of the Aztec Empire's densely populated regions and tribute economy, with individual fields yielding multiple harvests a year.