Blog 1

 Today I saw these amazing floating gardens, but the Aztecs call them chinampas. The Aztecs are very proud to call the 'chinampas' their own creation which they invented in C.E. 1100. Chinampas are around 10-13 feet (3-4 meters) long but can range between 1,300-3,000 feet (396-914 meters) long, and are 2.5 meters in width. I thought they were floating on the lake until one of the water farmers told me they weren't.

Chinampas are built up on wetlands of a lake, or in fresh water swamps. The side of the chinampas is made from mud, support structures (like wood), then the top is made out of woven reed mat and the above water side walls are made from woven reed walls. They often planted trees such as āhuexōtl (willow trees) on the corners to ensure the chinampas were sturdy. They are used to grow crops. They make them on water to ensure the plants have enough sun and water to grow, it also makes it easy to get from garden to garden.

A really interesting and innovative design aspect the Aztecs made, to make sure there are no blockages in the system, was that they invented a drainage solution. They did this by making a ditch to allow for the flow of water and sediments. Over a period of time the ditch would gather mud, the mud would then be dug up and placed on the chinampas. The mud has many rich nutrients in it, which helps the plants be stronger, healthier, grow quicker and it also acts as fertilizer. 

I was so surprised that the Aztecs came up with such a smart and functional way to plant their crops. I used to think that people from the olden days were not as smart as us, but I was wrong!