Chinampa (Nahuatl languages: chināmitl [tʃiˈnaːmitɬ]) is a technique used in Mesoamerican agriculture which relies on small, rectangular areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico. The word chinampa has Nahuatl origins, chinampa meaning “in the fence of reeds”.

Chinampa, small, stationary, artificial island built on a freshwater lake for agricultural purposes. Chinampan was the ancient name for the southwestern region of the Valley of Mexico, the region of Xochimilco, and it was there that the technique was—and is still—most widely used.

Aug 22, 2021 · The Mesoamerican agriculture method known as chinampa (Nahuatl languages: chināmitl [tʃiˈnaːmitɬ]) relies on small, rectangular plots of fertile arable ground to cultivate crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico. They are constructed for agricultural use on freshwater swamps or lake wetlands, and their proportions guarantee ...

Nov 12, 2019 · Ancient chinampa systems have been identified throughout the highland and lowland regions of both continents of the Americas, and are also currently in use in highland and lowland Mexico on both coasts; in Belize and Guatemala; in the Andean highlands and Amazonian lowlands.

Dec 22, 2023 · Turning a swamp into farmland was no easy feat. Although the origins of chinampa agriculture in the Valley of Mexico remain unclear, these engineering techniques are said to have been used throughout Mesoamerica centuries prior to the rise of the Aztecs.

Feb 15, 2024 · By the time of the Aztec Empire’s peak in 1519, thousands of acres of chinampa farms ringed the lakes surrounding Tenochtitlan. The rectangular farm plots were often hundreds of feet long, allowing Aztec farmers to grow corn, beans, and squash in amounts large enough to sustain hundreds of thousands of people.

Dec 27, 2017 · expand=1]A modern iteration of the Aztecs' original chinampa method. Photo by EZGrow Garden . The success of chinampas is a testament to the fact that sometimes the most innovative solutions don't involve looking to the future, but to the past.

Feb 2, 2018 · The chinampa, from Nahuatl chinampan, meaning “in the fence of reeds,” is a Mesoamerican method of agriculture and territorial expansion used by the Mexicas to expand the territory on the surface of lakes and lagoons of the Valley of Mexico.

Today, the efficient and resourceful practice of chinampa farming still exists in Xochimilco, in the southern portion of Mexico City. Chinamperos use modern-day flat-bottomed boats to travel to and from their floating gardens.

The chinampa system of agriculture, often referred to as the "floating gardens" of the Aztecs, stands as a remarkable testament to innovative agricultural practices that thrived in the challenging environment of the Valley of Mexico.