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Santa Anita Canal, Mexico
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Santa Anita Canal, Mexico
Santa Anita Canal, Mexico, a place used for chinampa-based agriculture. Chinampa is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land (often artificial islands) to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico. This card shows one of the traditional flat-bottomed canoes on the canal. Today, the canal and the chinampas at Santa Anita have vanished, but a metro station on the site has a man in his canoe (identical to the one depicted here) as its symbol. Date: circa 1905
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Media ID 7222423
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Agricultural Agriculture Anita Based Bottom Canal Canoe Flat Growing Lakes Mexico Punting Punts System Santa
EDITORS COMMENTS
Santa Anita Canal, Mexico: A Glimpse into the Past of Chinampa-Based Agriculture This evocative photograph captures the essence of traditional chinampa agriculture in Mexico, as practiced around the Santa Anita Canal in the early 1900s. The Santa Anita Canal, located in the Valley of Mexico, was once a vital part of the ancient Mesoamerican agricultural system. Chinampa farming, which translates to 'floating gardens,' is an ingenious method that involved creating small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land on the shallow lake beds. These artificial islands, often no larger than an acre, were built by piling up layers of mud, organic matter, and silt, creating a rich, nutrient-dense soil ideal for growing crops. In this image, we see a man skillfully navigating one of the flat-bottomed canoes, a common mode of transportation for farmers working on the chinampas. The canoe's flat bottom allows for easy maneuvering on the shallow water, while the long pole, or 'punt,' in the man's hand helps propel him forward. This method of punting was essential for tending to the crops and transporting goods between the islands. Unfortunately, the Santa Anita Canal and the chinampas that once thrived there have largely vanished. Today, a metro station on the site pays homage to this rich agricultural history with a symbol of a man in a canoe identical to the one depicted here. This photograph offers a rare glimpse into the past, providing a reminder of the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the ancient Mesoamerican people and their agricultural practices.
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