A network of canal-fed chinampa islands in southern Mexico City, originally cultivated by the Aztecs and now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Geography
The “floating gardens” of Xochimilco are not natural islands but chinampas — rectangular plots of mud built up between canals on the bed of an ancient lake. The system covers about 89 square kilometers in southern Mexico City.
History
The chinampas date to the pre-Hispanic Aztec period and were the principal source of food for Tenochtitlan. After Spanish conquest the lake was drained, leaving only the Xochimilco canals.
Today
Visitors ride brightly painted trajinera boats through the canals. The remaining wetlands shelter the critically endangered axolotl salamander.
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Xochimilco Island starts with X and ends with D. Browse other islands along the same letter.
Islands that contain a letter from "Xochimilco Island":