Beneath The Canals

By: Julieta Sánchez Tenorio

COME INSIDE TO THE STORY HIDDEN DEEP IN THE CANALS WHERE THE TRAJINERAS PASS. LET’S START FROM THE BEGINNING

Long ago, before the Spanish came and even before the great city of Tenochtitlán was built, the Nahua Tribes had travelled from the north, but only one tribe was the first to arrive in the Basin of Mexico.

These were the Xochimilcas, whose agricultural expertise helped them grow an abundance of food and flowers on their island farms known as chinampas.

As the years passed, their canals filled with chinampas carrying crops across the lake, and their community continued to prosper.

The Xochimilcas had been living peacefully for a long time, until the Aztecs finally came and made them join their empire.

AZTECS

XOCHIMILCAS

From that moment on, Xochimilco became an important agricultural supplier to the Aztec Empire.

Throughout history, Xochimilco slowly began to form into what we now know today. Many things have been lost through time, but echoes of the past still remain.

Archaeologists believe that a few traces of the original chinampas and agricultural infrastructure lie hidden beneath the canals, resting silently below the water.

Though unseen by most visitors, these remains continue to tell the story of the people who transformed a lake into a thriving homeland.

• References:
• Our history. (n.d.). Chinampas Xochimilco. Retrieved
• October

23, 2026, from https://www.chinampasxochimilco.com/ourhistory La cosmogonía única xochimilca. Los ritos y las fiestas.

(2023, May

Revista

Nosotros. https://revistanosotros.com.mx/2023/05/21/lacosmogonia-unica-xochimilca-los-ritos-y-lasfiestas/ (N.d.-b). Unesco.org. Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/412/

THE END