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Introduction
Xochimilco is a system of canals that encompass a wide territory of over 170 square kilometers. It served as the main venue for transportation during the pre-Hispanic area and was built by the Aztec to also ensure a reliable water supply to the population. Today, the Xochimilco canals of Mexico City have become one of the significant attractions visited by millions of tourists each year. However, the ancient canals are much more than that because they represent a valuable natural resource that is vital for the sustainability and survival of the Mexican capital. With people needing to have a reliable supply of water to drink, to use for cleaning or cooking, Mexico City has had a history of having to bring water from the territories surrounding the city. Because of this, the Aztecs created aqueducts to bring water from Chapultepec. However, when the Spanish came, they further depleted the springs that are going underground. Today, the residents of Mexico City use up to 70 thousand liters of water each second, and the majority of it is sourced from the canals of Xochimilco.
Main body
The real Xochimilco, which is translated from the Aztec language as a place where flowers grow or the garden of flowers, is an outlying borough of Mexico City. The Aztecs were prominent engineers with high levels of ingenuity and managed to build bridges that allowed canoes to pass but could also be pulled away for defeating would-be invaders. They also used to create chinampas to provide land for agriculture, miles-long aqueducts, and a complex system of canals throughout the city to ensure that they have enough water supply for living. However, the engineering advancements into which the Aztecs invested were abandoned as the Spanish conquistadors destroyed the dams and drained the water out of the canals to build roads. However, Xochimilco remained because it was an essential source of food that the Spanish needed to preserve. Also, as Mexico City started expanding and people started integrating new farming techniques, the Lake Xochimilco was used to grow vegetables and flowers. Before the arrival of the Spanish, the economy in the Basin of Mexico was centered in chinampas. The Aztec Empire depended on the highly productive nature of the chinampa system and the supply of food that was possible to attain.
Conclusion
Xochimilco is a historically important system that maintained its resilience despite the significant changes that took place with the arrival of Spanish colonizers in Mexico City. Because of this, it is imperative to understand the importance of the systems resilience for the future management of the wetlands of Xochimilco. As the agricultural structure has offered multiple benefits for the inhabitants and the users of the water systems in the area, including productive, economic, environmental, social, and cultural (Ribles et al. 115). The exceptional agricultural system, due to its environmental factors and human creativity, should be preserved, even if it is currently being used for tourist attractions. Their authenticity is invaluable, and the enforcement of regulatory measures targeted at the protection of mechanisms to ensure that the use and the function of the historical sight are preserved for generations to come (UNESCO). Integral urban policies will make progress to reduce the abandonment of the site and ensure that there is some progress made in providing continuous revitalization and the maintenance of the canals.
Works Cited
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Robles, Braulio, et al. The Chinampa: An Ancient Mexican Sub-Irrigation System. Irrigation and Drainage, vol. 68, no. 1, 2018, pp. 115-122.
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UNESCO. Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco. WHC UNESCO.
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