How on earth would you feed a city of over 200,000 people when the land around you was a swampy lake? Seems like an impossible task, but the Aztec managed it by creating floating gardens known as chinampas, then they farmed them intensively.
These ingenious creations were built up from the lake bed by piling layers of mud, decaying vegetation and reeds. This was a great way of recycling waste from the capital city Tenochtitlan. Each garden was framed and held together by wooden poles bound by reeds and then anchored to the lake floor with finely pruned willow trees. The Aztecs also dredged mud from the base of the canals which both kept the waterways clear and rejuvenate the nutrient levels in the gardens.
A variety of crops were grown, most commonly maize or corn, beans, chillies, squash, tomatoes, edible greens such as quelite and amaranth. Colourful flowers were also grown, essential produce for religious festivals and ceremonies. Each plot was systematically planned, the effective use of seedbeds allowed continuous planting and harvesting of crops.
Between each garden was a canal which enabled canoe transport. Fish and birds populated the water and were an additional source of food. [x]
This is literally so cool. Not only does it contribute to spacial efficiency, but the canals would easily keep pests, weeds, and possibly even diseases out of the respective plots. Companion planting and bio-intensive planting would be so much easier. Water-wise systems would be inherently present. Plus it looks so super neat aesthetically. I am just all about this.
Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys to the legendary chinampas of Mexico City, known as the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco. We visit Lucio Usobiaga, who heads up the Arca Tierra project, which is restoring the health and viability of the chinampas while introducing contemporary concepts like Syntropic Agriculture, Agroforestry, and Permaculture. The chinampas are the last vestiges of the ancient agricultural system of the Aztec and pre-Aztec civilizations. This video examines the situation, and explores what can be learned from them.
There are so many great qualities of chinampas (especially these ones, with the biofilter to keep endangered axolotls healthy!)
The trees that form the perimeter and eventually stabilize the islands (preventing erosion, evaporation, and encourages nutrient cycling), the heavy mulching, the habitat they provide for so many wetland and water species
Something new I learned in this video is about their process of starting seeds with mud (screenshots taken from an article). I love that the seedlings never have to be watered.
Once the mud is poured, it is left outdoors to “set” and lose moisture so that it maintains a firm texture and can be cut. If there is a risk of rain, it is covered with plastic and left to rest for approximately 48 hours.(source)
Once the mud squares, also called chapines, have been formed, they are planted. Then they are covered with harvest residues, pruning residues, straw or any available material, including compost, and the chapines are covered with plastic to allow the seeds to germinate and the seedlings to emerge.
