Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys to the legendary chinampas of Mexico City, known as the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco. We visit Lucio Usobiaga, who heads up the Arca Tierra project, which is restoring the health and viability of the chinampas while introducing contemporary concepts like Syntropic Agriculture, Agroforestry, and Permaculture. The chinampas are the last vestiges of the ancient agricultural system of the Aztec and pre-Aztec civilizations. This video examines the situation, and explores what can be learned from them. Credits (corrected): Written & Directed by Andrew Millison Saskia Madlener Assistant Director Producer Daniel Cespedes Editor, Cinematography & Aerial Photography Arca Tierra: https://arcatierra.com/ Subscribe to this channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/amillison?sub_confirmation=1 Andrew Millison’s links: https://www.andrewmillison.com/ https://permaculturedesign.oregonstate.edu/ JOIN THIS CHANNEL to get access to uncut video content and live Q & A sessions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgb_TbreMgfDdLKkr4yYJHw/join SIGN UP FOR ANDREW'S FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER: https://share.hsforms.com/1X79TznHYRCWc-8xE3hty7Q9opt

Did you know that the Aztecs created floating gardens called chinampas because they lived on an island in the middle of a lake? The Aztec capital city, Tenochtitlan, had a large population, so to help feed the people in it, the Aztecs used these island gardens to cultivate crops. This form of gardening was important for helping to sustain the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs built canals between the chinampas to navigate between them. This video looks at the process of building chinampas and growing crops, and the legacy of chinampas today. Chinampas are a great example of Aztec engineering because they transformed an unlikely environment (a lake!) into artificial islands capable of feeding an empire. Did you know that axolotls were found among the canals too? (See our companion video to learn more about them! https://youtu.be/BuEGLwXrgM0?si=jev5PTb4UfDsZQ2E) Want to see chinampas in person? Today, visitors to Mexico City can still experience these floating gardens by visiting Xochimilco. Aboard a traditional trajinera, visitors can see canals and floating gardens. Xochimilco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its importance. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNSZVIXd3ZgTFRv9vHJKU8Q/join Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank *CHAPTERS* 0:00 Introduction to chinampas or floating gardens 0:42 Chinampas, Lake Texcoco, and Tenochtitlan 1:24 Building artificial gardens 1:58 Growing crops 2:16 Natural filters for the environment and axolotls 2:47 Sustainability and food independence 3:26 The legacy of chinampas and modern gardening techniques 3:50 Visiting Xochimilco 4:06 Learning from Chinampas **Learn more about the Mexica (Aztecs) with our short introduction to the Aztecs textbook chapter! Includes discussion questions, a quiz, and more.** https://www.artsq.org/store/p/aztecs-mesoamerica-informational-text-reading **Learn more about Aztec deities and mythology—like how to identify different gods and goddesses!** https://www.artsq.org/store/p/aztecs-gods-goddesses-mythology-informational-text-reading Looking for readings, activities, and more to deepen your understanding of the Aztecs and Mesoamerica? Check out our resources: https://www.artsq.org/store/mesoamerica *LEARN MORE* Aztec art playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbEekN1fVPucqZ5RFi5KkIcVlJwqFD18a&si=BEZ89SYeQM2hw4Id Aztec art shorts: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbEekN1fVPuel5zJb5-RXsPyBwcypR7Kl&si=OEhGn302HNdpLUAY Mexican art playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbEekN1fVPufiiHFswrVg8usvKGjMy5ll&si=xOC7dhLvFcuLTpqE AP Art History Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbEekN1fVPucxwCn1pM4zLviin2blEvMH&si=NvimJzYIFvVma8HE Read about Xochimilco as a UNESCO World Heritage location: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/412/ *WANT TO LEARN MORE? HAVE A QUESTION?* http://artsq.org/ *INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING OUR WORK?* Become a patron to help us create materials for our channel! Patreon—https://www.patreon.com/ARTSQ *JOIN OUR COMMUNITIES ON SOCIAL* Instagram—https://www.instagram.com/artsq_official Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/ARTSQofficial #aztecs #gardens #xochimilco #chinampas #aztecengineering #arthistory #floatinggardens #history #mesoamerica #tenochtitlan #island #mexicocity #farming #aztec #sustainability

Did you know that the Ancient Toltec & Aztec Chinampas are being restored? In late 2018, Adriana Powers journeyed to Mexico to film a series of permaculture sites in Mexico with the main focus and goal being the documentation of the work of De La Chinampas in Xochimilco, Mexico restoring the ancient chinampas. Explanations for their methods, the invasive species damage, the restoration efforts over the last decade, and the commercial revitalization have never before been shared in-depth in a documentary. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles. Learn HOW they are maintaining the fertility of the canals consistently and the unique way they plant their beds. If you want to learn about and build your own floating gardens, this documentary will be the BEST resource possible to guide your work and study! DIVE IN DEEP with De la Chinampas - Grow an Abundance in a High Water Table Situation!! De Las Chinampas is a documentary filmed by Adriana Powers and edited by Matt Powers as part of ThePermacultureStudent.com/PowersPermaculture123. Download it for a small fee here & support more work like this: https://www.thepermaculturestudent.com/course-signup/the-triumph-of-chinampas

you can build chinampas a few different ways, but the benefits of having one are enormous. They require very little maintenance and almost zero watering after the plants are established. https://midwestpermaculture.com/2012/12/chinampas-gardens/ http://www.chinampas.info/

🌿 The Aztec Floating Farms That Fed a Million People Discover the incredible story of the chinampas - the "floating gardens" of ancient Tenochtitlan that produced 7 harvests per year and sustained one of history's greatest civilizations. These weren't actually floating islands, but ingenious artificial agricultural systems built on lake beds that could feed 15-20 people per hectare. In this video, you'll learn: • How the Aztecs turned swampland into the most productive farmland in history • The engineering genius behind these self-fertilizing agricultural islands • Why Spanish colonizers destroyed a system that was more sustainable than modern farming • How surviving chinampas in Xochimilco still outperform industrial agriculture today • The ecological secrets that made 7 annual harvests possible without synthetic fertilizers From 4,000-year-old clay jars to modern soil studies revealing extraordinary microbial diversity, this is the story of humanity's most advanced agricultural system - and why it holds the key to feeding cities sustainably in our climate-changed future. The answers to tomorrow's food crisis have been waiting beneath the surface for over 700 years. 🔔 Subscribe for more forgotten agricultural wisdom that could change how we grow food forever. #Chinampas #AztecAgriculture #SustainableFarming #Permaculture #FoodSecurity #AncientWisdom #Tenochtitlan #UrbanFarming #ClimateChange #LostKnowledge

Just outside the chaos of Mexico City lies Xochimilco, where ancient floating farms still survive. Will these last living chinampas endure the pressure of modern life and new generations? Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@thetraveleditofficial?sub_confirmation=1 🌍 Welcome to The Travel Edit! ✨ The Travel Edit will be a new home for immersive travel, adventure, and food stories from around the world. This is a channel from BBC Studios who help fund new BBC programmes. Service information and feedback: https://www.bbcstudios.com

In Mexico, traditionally women didn't inherit chinampas, island farms first built by the Aztecs thousands of years ago. Today, more women are buying them and doing sustainable farming to preserve this unique ecosystem. (AP Video by Monica Wise. Produced by Lucía Torres and Teresa de Miguel). #mexico Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Read more: https://apnews.com​ This video may be available for archive licensing via https://newsroom.ap.org/home

Learn more with my free Permaculture Masterclass series, here: https://www.discoverpermaculture.com/a/12454/e3i2ci3L Question: How are chinampas working with nature? The Aztecs created all of it and imposed the canals on the landscape to manipulate nature. Is this even permaculture? What am I missing? Support us in making more films by: ► Signing up to our newsletter and the Permaculture Circle—my curated collection of 100+ free videos: https://start.geofflawtononline.com/permaculturecircle/ ► Liking us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geofflawtononline/ ► Following us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geofflawtononline/ ► Subscribing to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw/?sub_confirmation=1 About Geoff: Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher. He has established permaculture demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world’s extreme climates — information on the success of these systems is networked through the Permaculture Research Institute and the www.permaculturenews.org website. About Permaculture: Permaculture (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture) integrates land, resources, people and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development. #permaculture #chinampas #nature

ABC Acres Chinampas - https://youtu.be/esxybDSk6qw Hey Everyone! This is our first time trying to make chinampas. Hopefully it will work out well, the structure seems very sturdy. As said, this is the first time we've experimented with this growing technique, so please add any potential suggestions in the comments! Thanks for watching! -Wil