Chinampa

A system of cultivation on small, stationary, artificial islands made of vegetation and mud in shallow freshwater lakes, created in the Valley of Mexico (Xochimilco). These very fertile fields were created by massive Aztec reclamation projects and consisted of little islands, each averaging 6 to 10 m (19.7 to 32.8 feet) wide and 100 to 200 m (30.5 to 656.2 feet) long, with fertilization from the organic wastes in mud and aquatic life. Periodic renewal of this mud layer created a permanent supply of fertile soil so that as one crop was harvested it could be immediately replaced with another. Much of Aztecs' Tenochtitlan utilized such intensively farmed, reclaimed land. The champas were normally separated by a system of canals which allowed both access and water circulation.

An extremely productive method of agriculture practised in Mesoamerica, especially by the Aztec. Although often incorrectly called ‘floating gardens’, the method is rather similar to a system of land reclamation. Successive rectangular mats of marsh vegetation were floated to suitable shallow-water sites and anchored first to the lake bottom and then successively to each other. Once built up above the water level, nutrient-rich lake mud was dredged up and piled on top. Periodic renewal of this mud layer created a permanent supply of fertile soil so that as one crop was harvested it could be immediately replaced with another. The chinampas were normally separated by a system of canals which allowed both access and water circulation. A carrying capacity of 60 to 100 persons per hectare is estimated for the system at Tenochtitlan.