The Chinampas Farm Plots were the
economic foundation of the Aztec Empire.
-Michael D. Coe, author of
The Chinampas of Mexico
economic foundation of the Aztec Empire.
-Michael D. Coe, author of
The Chinampas of Mexico
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GLOSSARY
Definition of Chinampas:
An artificial island, or
A long, narrow strip of farm
land surrounded on at least
three sides by water. Properly
maintained, they can produce
several crops a year and will
remain fertile for centuries
without having to lie fallow.
Each Chinampa is 300 feet
long and between 15-30 feet
wide(and any size with this
proportion). The surface of the
garden is a 2-3 feet above the
water and is topped every year
with the sediment found at the
bottom of the water canal that
surrounds it. Chinampas are
held together by planting trees
on at least two sides to contain
the plot with tree roots. Once
the plot gets too high, it must
be broken up and leveled out,
therefore each garden has its
own built-in compost heap.
Chinampa Zone:
A large scale land reclamation
process through drainage of a
land locked basin completely
surrounded by mountains.
Chapines: (see photo 1.)
Little rectangular blocks of mud
or soil that has been dried in a
slab and cut into squares.
Spanish for soil blocks.
Chinampero:
A native Aztec or Mexican
American who tends the
garden plots(chinampas).
Xochimilco(pronounced
So-chi-mil-co):
The most famous chinampas
town center in the world, south
of Mexico City. The origin of
Chinampas farming and
chapines. Also the name given
to the small band of barbaric
Aztecs who settled the Lake
Xochimilco or Lake of the
Moons.
Xochimilco means "place of
the flower gardens" in the
Nahuatl language spoken by
the Aztecs and older people of
the chinampa towns.
Coa:
A cultivating stick used by the
chinampero to hoe or cultivate
the chinampas. It is made of
hardwood and is considerably
broader at the digging end than
it is toward the handle. Overall
length is roughly 60", width of
the digging end is roughly 6-8"
at the widest and tapers down
to about 3" to a knife-like point.
Overall length of blade is 2'.
Definition of Chinampas:
An artificial island, or
A long, narrow strip of farm
land surrounded on at least
three sides by water. Properly
maintained, they can produce
several crops a year and will
remain fertile for centuries
without having to lie fallow.
Each Chinampa is 300 feet
long and between 15-30 feet
wide(and any size with this
proportion). The surface of the
garden is a 2-3 feet above the
water and is topped every year
with the sediment found at the
bottom of the water canal that
surrounds it. Chinampas are
held together by planting trees
on at least two sides to contain
the plot with tree roots. Once
the plot gets too high, it must
be broken up and leveled out,
therefore each garden has its
own built-in compost heap.
Chinampa Zone:
A large scale land reclamation
process through drainage of a
land locked basin completely
surrounded by mountains.
Chapines: (see photo 1.)
Little rectangular blocks of mud
or soil that has been dried in a
slab and cut into squares.
Spanish for soil blocks.
Chinampero:
A native Aztec or Mexican
American who tends the
garden plots(chinampas).
Xochimilco(pronounced
So-chi-mil-co):
The most famous chinampas
town center in the world, south
of Mexico City. The origin of
Chinampas farming and
chapines. Also the name given
to the small band of barbaric
Aztecs who settled the Lake
Xochimilco or Lake of the
Moons.
Xochimilco means "place of
the flower gardens" in the
Nahuatl language spoken by
the Aztecs and older people of
the chinampa towns.
Coa:
A cultivating stick used by the
chinampero to hoe or cultivate
the chinampas. It is made of
hardwood and is considerably
broader at the digging end than
it is toward the handle. Overall
length is roughly 60", width of
the digging end is roughly 6-8"
at the widest and tapers down
to about 3" to a knife-like point.
Overall length of blade is 2'.
Photographs of the Chinampas in Xochimilco courtesy of Dr. Phil
Crossley. See his site for a complete tour of the Chinampas!
http://www.western.edu/faculty/pcrossley/chinampasofmexico/index.htm
Crossley. See his site for a complete tour of the Chinampas!
http://www.western.edu/faculty/pcrossley/chinampasofmexico/index.htm
3.) Lettuce in blocks of chapines.
4.) Zinnias, Dahlias, and
Carnations.
Carnations.
5.) Covering a seed bed of soil
blocks with plastic. A board
straddles the nursery. Here
we find the largest vegetable
soil block operations in North
America. Only the
Netherlands produce more,
albeit for chrysanthemums, on
a commercial scale.
blocks with plastic. A board
straddles the nursery. Here
we find the largest vegetable
soil block operations in North
America. Only the
Netherlands produce more,
albeit for chrysanthemums, on
a commercial scale.
6.) View of a canal and a
chinampa. Trees hold in
the sides.
chinampa. Trees hold in
the sides.
7.) The "floating
gardens", actually an
artificial peninsula.
gardens", actually an
artificial peninsula.
8.) Digging deep.
Breaking up a plot to
redistribute the
compost.
Breaking up a plot to
redistribute the
compost.
9.) Covering the soil
blocks completely with
canal muck or wet
peaty sediment.
blocks completely with
canal muck or wet
peaty sediment.
10.) Intensive planting of
green and red lettuces
green and red lettuces
11.) Chinampero
scooping up canal
muck.
scooping up canal
muck.
The Living History of Soil Blocks.
1.) Chapines, or Soil Blocks
with finger holes for seeds.
This is what they looked like
2000 years ago.
Peppers seeded to the left,
and tomatoes seeded to the
right. Note the amount of
seeds in each hole. The
chinampero will thin to the
strongest seedling, ensuring
generations of vitality,
production, and nutrition.
with finger holes for seeds.
This is what they looked like
2000 years ago.
Peppers seeded to the left,
and tomatoes seeded to the
right. Note the amount of
seeds in each hole. The
chinampero will thin to the
strongest seedling, ensuring
generations of vitality,
production, and nutrition.
2.) Chinampero, or canal farmer, poking
holes and dropping seeds in his soil
blocks. Most men are Aztec
descendants and have continued on
today the craft of canal farming.
However, fewer and fewer families are
sustained with their farms, due to the
drainage of the shallow lake basin to
make room for buildings and resorts.
The farmers at Xochimilco are some of
the last Aztec farmers practicing canal
farming. Their existence hangs from a
thin thread: Can we save them in time?
Or, will they become lost forever? Will
the birth place of the soil block
disappear? Or, will enough tourists,
ecological lodges, and conservation
groups save their land, farms, families
and "artificial island" culture? Click here
to support these farmers in anyway you
can?
holes and dropping seeds in his soil
blocks. Most men are Aztec
descendants and have continued on
today the craft of canal farming.
However, fewer and fewer families are
sustained with their farms, due to the
drainage of the shallow lake basin to
make room for buildings and resorts.
The farmers at Xochimilco are some of
the last Aztec farmers practicing canal
farming. Their existence hangs from a
thin thread: Can we save them in time?
Or, will they become lost forever? Will
the birth place of the soil block
disappear? Or, will enough tourists,
ecological lodges, and conservation
groups save their land, farms, families
and "artificial island" culture? Click here
to support these farmers in anyway you
can?
12.) Floating down a
canal. These Aztecs
are losing their
increasing
urbanization, as
seen in the
background. Please
help preserve their
heritage. Click here
to find out how you
can help.
canal. These Aztecs
are losing their
increasing
urbanization, as
seen in the
background. Please
help preserve their
heritage. Click here
to find out how you
can help.
farmer planting corn and weeding with a coa, or hardwood digging stick. The coa is considerably broader near the
digging end than it is towards the handle.
