Aztec Farming
The Aztecs used chinampas to farm
Because the Aztecs lived on a lake with the island consisting of sand and cactus, the Aztec had to use chinampas (floating gardens) to farm. These chinampas were usually 30 x 2.5 meters but were sometimes bigger. The Aztec built the chinampas by fencing of a rectangle with wattle. After that, the Aztecs filled the wattle fence with lake sediment, mud and decaying vegetation. Soon this debris would raise the height of the chinampas to above the water level. Usually, Aztecs would plant trees such as āhuexōtl and āhuēhuētl in the corners of their chinampa to root them down. In between the chinampas, the Aztecs left room for canoes to pass through. Families would each have their own chinampa that they had made. On their chinampa, they would have their house and other personal items (canoes and war gear). Since the Aztecs chinampas were made out of such rich farming soil, the Aztecs could grow not only enough but extra food for their family. Also, one chinampa alone could grow 7 crops a year which just added more and more food. Withe all this extra food, Aztec families would set up a boot at market and trade for other things. Without the chinampa, one of the greatest civilizations of all time wouldn't have ever come into existence because they wouldn't have ever had a place to call home.