| In the Valley of Mexico the chinampas benefited from a remarkable system of control of water that is only now being studied with any care. |
| Here ingenuity led to more advanced ways of growing food, by covering rafts of branches and roots with earth to create chinampas or floating gardens. |
| The chinampas were rectangular raised platforms built on a strong framework of posts, sticks, and tree branches anchored firmly to the lake bed and filled with earth. |
| By the end of the 16th century, they filled in many of the chinampas and canals, expanded the island's land area, and built elevated roadways. |
| With the mild climate and ample water for irrigation, the chinampas yielded multiple harvests each year. |
| The chinampas started as reclamation measures to drain swampy areas in the Valley of Mexico, a basin which had no exterior drainage.
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