A man use a canoe through the water canals of Xochimilco on the south side of Mexico City


A man use a canoe through the water canals of Xochimilco on the south side of Mexico City, December 17, 2011. The water canals and gardens in Xochimilco was once part of the Americas breadbaskets and the agricultural hub of Tenochtitlán Aztec empire. The water canals surround raised fields called "chinampas," likened to floating gardens, and were the most productive means of agricultural production when the Valley of Mexico was wetland. The floating gardens are anchored to the lake bottom by trees planted along the edges of the fields. In the Aztec's Náhuatl language the word Xochimilco means "garden of flowers."


Size: 5120px × 3413px
Location: Xochimilco lake, Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico, North America
Photo credit: © Chico Sanchez / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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