"Chinampas are human-made islands built in shallow lakebeds that have fed the people of Mesoamerica and shaped local ecosystems for over a thousand years. Sometimes referred to as 'floating gardens,' these agricultural feats of engineering survive as a testament to the ingenuity of the Aztec civilization and their lake-dwelling predecessors, particularly the ancient peoples of Xochimilco, where chinampas are still in use today."
"The word chinampa derives from the Nahuatl term chinamitl, meaning "a fence made of plants" or that which could be enclosed within a fence of plants. The labor-intensive process of building a chinampa began with locating a firm floor in the shallow area of a lake. There, laborers would drive wooden posts into the lake bottom. The designated area for the construction was usually rectangular, with lengths varying from 8 to 100 meters and widths ranging between 2 and 25 meters."
Chinampas are human-made islands in shallow lakebeds that supported Mesoamerican populations and shaped local ecosystems for over a thousand years. Construction began by driving wooden posts into a firm shallow lake floor to form rectangular enclosures often 8–100 meters long and 2–25 meters wide. Willow trees such as Salix bonplandiana were planted at corners and along edges so roots stabilized each island. Reeds, vines, and branches were woven between posts to form a plant fence (chinamitl). Enclosures were filled with layered soils, frequently dredged from the lake bottom, then compacted with mud and plant material to create fertile plots. The Nahuatl term chinamitl means 'a fence made of plants.' Chinampas remain in use in Xochimilco today.
Read at World History Encyclopedia
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]