![]() The Aztecs also appreciated the cultivation of flower gardens and these were dotted around Tenochtitlan. One of the most impressive of these was the 16 km dyke built by Nezahualcoyotl on the edge of Tenochtitlan to block the salty water of Lake Texcoco and create a lagoon supplied by a fresh water spring. The water was provided, and carefully controlled, by a combination of natural springs and artificial constructions such as aqueducts, dikes, dams, canals, reservoirs, and gates. The planting area within the chinampa was filled with sediment and between each plot was a canal which gave access for canoes. The wall was further strengthened by the planting of willow trees at regular intervals. Each plot was bordered with a fence made of intertwined branches which, over time, became more solid as they collected mud and vegetation. Measuring around 30 x 2.5 m, they were pegged out in marshy areas using long stakes. Motecuhzoma I, in particular, embarked on an expansion project in the 15th century CE, probably as a direct response to the needs of a rapidly growing population.Įach chinampa field was remarkably similar in size and orientation. ![]() The chinampas could feed an ever-growing population, which at the capital Tenochtitlan alone was at least 200,000 and perhaps 11,000,000 throughout the empire. Their use in Mesoamerica went back centuries, but it was not until the 13th and 14th centuries CE that they began to spread beyond the lake basin of Chalco-Xochimilco where they eventually covered up to 9,500 hectares (23,000 acres). In fact, as many as six crops a year could be grown on the chinampas no wonder then, that they continue to be used in the present day. At the bottom of the social strata were slaves ( tlacohtin) who, besides working in other industries, were also widely engaged in agriculture.Ĭhinampas were artificially raised and flooded fields used for cultivation, and they covered large areas of the Chalco-Xochimilco basin and greatly increased the agricultural capacity of the land. On a smaller scale, it was also typical for commoners ( macehualtin) to have their own garden plot ( calmil), which could supply the family with food. Rent was paid in kind to the landowners who were either Aztec nobles ( pipiltin), warriors given the land as a reward for services rendered, or the king himself ( tlatoani), who all managed their estates through intermediary administrators. In Aztec society, land could be owned by communities ( calpolli) and parceled out to individual families for cultivation, or farmers could be resident tenants ( mayeque) on large, privately owned estates. Their skills at agriculture gave the Aztecs one of the most varied cuisines in the ancient world. 13 CE, was able to provide an astonishingly wide range of agricultural produce thanks to a combination of climatic advantages, diverse artificial irrigation methods, and extensive farming know-how. The Aztec civilization, which flourished in central Mexico between c.
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