Chapter 1
The migration from the seven caves
Chapter 2
The engineering of the floating gardens
Chapter 3
The cosmic clock and daily life
Chapter 4
The secret codes of the codices
YOUR GOAL
Master of Hidden world of the Aztecs
Ch 2 · The engineering of the floating gardens
sonia Chinampa engineering
Mud from the lake, Willows lock deep, Gardens that never will sleep!
sonia Long before European royal gardens, Aztec emperors created massive botanical sanctuaries dedicated to medicinal plants and conservation.
sonia A brilliant poet-king designed a massive nine-mile dike to save the Aztec capital from devastating floods and salt water.
BETA
sonia Connect the stone aqueducts to discover how Aztec engineers channeled Chapultepec's sacred springs.
Fun Fact
Popcorn's ancient roots: The Aztecs used popped corn not just as a snack, but also to make ceremonial necklaces for rain deity statues.
Glossary
chinampa (noun)
An artificial island built on a freshwater lake for agricultural purposes. Aztec engineers anchored these plots to the Lake Xochimilco bed using willow trees called ahuejotes.
An artificial island built on a freshwater lake for agricultural purposes. Aztec engineers anchored these plots to the Lake Xochimilco bed using willow trees called ahuejotes.
Quiz
Which lake's salty water did the great dike of Nezahualcoyotl keep away from Tenochtitlan?
Quiz
How many harvests per year could a well-maintained chinampa agricultural plot produce?
Quiz
In Aztec mythology, which god transformed into the axolotl salamander to escape sacrifice?