About an hour outside of Mexico City lies Xochimilco, a  UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s history dates back thousands of years to pre-hispanic times. Thousands of tourists flock to this area each week to take a boat ride on one of the hundreds of colorful wooden boats (trajineras) through the canals surrounding the ancient floating gardens called Chinampas.

During our visit to Mexico City, we decided to visit Xochimilco and the chinampas in a slightly different way than most tourist, by going on an eco-tour where we visited one of the few active organic gardens that occupy the chinampas today and learned about this history and importance of the islands. It was an incredible experience, that everyone should do if they plan to visit Mexico City.

the history of the chinampas

Ancient Mexico City, Tenochtitlan, was created by the Aztecs by combining layers of wood, branches, and mud to make an island in the middle of the lake (Lago de Texcoco). To accompany the thriving city, the Aztecs and Toltecs created a series of canals with floating gardens called Chinampas to help grow food.

The word chinampa is Nahuatl word, which is the pre-hispanic Aztec language, and means flower garden. The chinampas are built from a layering technique using willow trees as the anchor, then layering mud, branches, reeds, and cane until the island sits high above the water.

The soil is rich in nutrients and is the perfect medium for growing a thriving garden because of the ash from the volcanic eruptions when this area was created. 10% of all of the rain fall that is experienced in Mexico City is absorbed in Xochimilco making a natural, filtered, watering system for the food growing above.

The Aztecs originally harvested what we call the Three Sisters, corn, beans, and squash. Strategically planting certain vegetables and flowers near each other to keep pests down.

disappearing chinampas

What to expect on the tour

We wanted to see a different side of Xochimilco so we opted for an eco-tour with De La Chinampa were we spent a relaxing afternoon floating through the canals and touring one of Ricardo’s chinampas where he has over 90 plots growing a wide variety of vegetables and flowers. During the boat ride, we enjoyed a delicious traditional Mexican lunch with produce harvested from Ricardo’s garden. He shared the history of the Chinampas, the role it plays in the biodiversity of Mexico City and the importance of his work and mission.

The tour lasts about 3 hours, and includes lunch for $4,200 pesos (about $180). The rate is not per person, but per boat excursion. It’s a good idea to go with a group or call ahead to see if others have booked a tour during the period of time you will be in Mexico City. This will help keep cost down.