The origins of the "CHINAMPAS" come from the ancient Tenochtitlan where Tlolzin Pochotl, governor of Azcapotzalco, asked the Xochimilcas for a FLOATING GARDEN as a wedding gift for his daughter.
They assembled a raft woven together with tree trunks and branches. They placed a layer of rich soil over it. Then they sowed plants and flowers of bright and different colors.
When the Chinampa attained a height of 8 to 10 inches (20 - 25 cms.) above the water surface, they sowed certain kind of trees on the borders, "Sauces and Ahuejotes" so the roots would consolidate the ground................
To site the Chinampas they first searched for a foundation. They examined the bottom of a canal until they found a place where the bottom was close to the suface. They marked the perimeter with big sticks. Over this foundation, they put layers of soil and grass.
This mass was so compact that it could receive the weight of both people and animals.
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