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Chinampas

    Chinampas


The building blocks of the empire...


   The Aztec Empire is known as being one of the most sensationalized civilizations in history.  Usually it is their blood filled rituals and legendary warriors who get all the attention.  Here I will attempt to bring to light the importance of an agricultural revolution that was a major factor in the Aztec's ability to create such a complex society, the widespread use of chinampas.  

Aztec Empire


Fig 1: The Aztec Empire at the time of the conquest (Berdan 2005)

Lakes

    The chinampas were found mostly in the southern lakes, Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco.  Some chinampas have been found around Lake Xaltocan and Zumpango (Hassig 1985), but for the most part chinampas were a feature of the southern lakes.  Lake Texcoco, where Tenochtitlan is located, is brackish, and it wasn't until a dike was built that the lake's waters became less saline (Werner 1992). 


Fig 2: The lakes in the Basin of Mexico (Sanders, Parsons, and Santley 1979)