Chinampa

Chinampas were highly productive raised fields built on shallow lake beds, made by piling up mud and vegetation between stakes and anchoring the plot with willow trees. This ingenious system allowed the Mexica to harvest several crops a year and feed the huge population of Tenochtitlan.

Chinampas are still farmed today in Xochimilco, in the south of Mexico City, an area declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.