"The chinampas as they exist to-day are in the neighborhood of Santa Anita and along the sides of the canal all the way to the lake. The ground is low and marshy, and in ancient times was probably a part of the lake or of the great body of water that covered most of the valley. The chinampas are masses of vegetation, reeds, and bushes covered with soil above, and they are so loosely fastened that they rise and fall with the changes of the height of water. They are said to have been formerly drifted about by the winds and waves, and were then really chinampas; now they are made fast by means of poles, and their owners know where to find them. An excellent description of these marvels is to be found on page 159 of Mr. Brocklehurst's book, and we take the liberty of copying it:
"'When a tract of vegetation, composed of reeds, water-plants, and bushes interwoven and laced together, becomes so dense that it will bear a superstructure, strips of turf twenty to thirty yards long by two yards wide are cut from some suitable firm place, floated to it down the canal, and laid upon it. This is repeated several times, and thus an island is securely raised two to three feet above the level of the water. A little soil is spread over it, and it becomes a chinampa, or floating garden, on which Indian corn, vegetables, and flowers are grown. The gardens vary in size from one to two hundred feet in length, and from twenty to a hundred feet in width, according to the nature of the vegetation which supports them.
"'The Lakes Chalco and Xochimilco are covered with this sort of vegetation. The lakes have a varying depth of from ten to fifteen feet, and to secure the gardens in their proper places long willow poles are driven through them into the ground below, where they soon take root. The poles also throw out roots into the bed of the floating gardens, and so hold them steady.'
"It is said that thieves pursued by soldiers or the police have been known to dive under these chinampas and come up on the other side. Any enterprising citizen of the United States who thinks of coming to Mexico for a life of crime would do well to become an expert swimmer and diver before venturing into this country.
PEON'S HOUSE ON A CHINAMPA.
"These gardens become firm enough in a few years to support men, dwelling-houses, and even horned cattle and horses, although the water continues to circulate freely beneath them. The Government taxes the inhabitants or owners sufficiently to pay the expense of maintaining an inspector and several assistants. The chinampas are separated by narrow canals, and the duties of the inspecting party are to keep the canals free from weeds, and see that the islands are properly fastened so that they cannot drift about with the wind."
We may add to the story of the youth that at the time of the Conquest there were thousands of these chinampas, and they annually paid a good revenue to the Aztec authorities. The Valley of Mexico appears to have been more densely peopled at that time than it is to-day, as every inch of solid earth was tilled to its fullest capacity, and the necessity arose for utilizing the marshes and also the surface of the lakes. In the days of Cortez the floating gardens covered Lake Tezcoco, but as time has gone on they have disappeared from that brackish sheet, and are now practically confined to the two lakes we have mentioned and the canals leading to them.