"From a historical viewpoint, the chinampas are unquestionably important since they are the living testimony of a production method that nourished and maintained various human groups during the prehispanic, colonial and independent periods. From an agricultural viewpoint, the chinampas represent a sustainable agroecosystem that is one of the most diverse and productive systems known today" (Jimenez-Osornio et al. 1990).
Ancient
Aztec map of chinampa city of Tenochtitlan-Tlatelolco.
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Image taken from Coe (1964): "Six to eight plots are associated with each house. Profile of the house holder and his name in hieroglyphs and in Spanish script appear above each house. Footprints indicate a path between plots or beside a canal." Actual map is housed in the the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. |
Aerial photograph of modern chinampas, taken from Sanders et al. (1979).