The Chinampas of Xochimilco: Mexico City’s Floating Gardens
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Last updated on February 22, 2026
An hour outside of Mexico City lies Xochimilco (pronounced so-chi-mil-ko), a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose history dates back thousands of years to prehispanic times. Most tourists flock to this area to ride colorful wooden boats (trajineras) through the canals around the ancient floating gardens called Chinampas while sipping micheladas and dancing to music.
During our visit to Mexico City, we decided to visit Xochimilco chinampas in a slightly different way— on an eco-tour to visit one of the few active organic gardens that occupy the Chinampas in Xochimilco.
If you’re looking for a unique way to enjoy Xochimilco, this guide will help you understand what to expect on this eco tour and why this should be at the top of your Mexico City bucket list.
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The history of the Chinampas
Ancient Mexico City (Tenochtitlan) was built by the Aztecs thousands of years ago. The Aztecs created Mexico City by combining layers of wood, branches, and mud to make an island in the middle of the lake (Lago de Texcoco).
To accompany the thriving city, the Aztecs and Toltecs created a series of canals with floating gardens called Chinampas to grow food. The word chinampa is a Nahuatl word, the prehispanic Aztec language meaning ‘flower garden’. The chinampas are built with a layering technique using willow trees as the anchor, then sections of mud, branches, reeds, and cane until the island sits high above the water.
The soil is rich in nutrients and is the perfect medium for growing a thriving garden because of the ash from the volcanic eruptions when this area was created. 10% of all of the rainfall that is experienced in Mexico City is absorbed in Xochimilco, making a natural, filtered watering system for the food growing above.
The Aztecs originally harvested what we call the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash. They strategically plant certain vegetables and flowers near each other to keep pests down and get the nutrients they need for a complete diet.
Disappearing chinampas
Xochimilco is one of the only places you can still see the existence of Chinampas and the ancient waterways. Sadly, out of the thousands of chinampas scattered throughout Xochimilco, the majority are abandoned.
Over the past few centuries, more and more families are walking away from traditional farming practices, opting to rent this space to soccer clubs, group events, or remain unused. Currently, about 3% of the Chinampas are being used to farm.
If all of the Chinampas were used for agriculture, it could potentially feed all of Mexico City’s inhabitants in a local, sustainable way. But the restoration of this ancient agricultural practice is crucial in not just feeding Mexico City, it’s keeping it afloat.
The canals that surround the chinampas are being depleted at a rapid rate. The practice of building and cultivating gardens on top of the chinampas restores water into the canals by pulling mud from the bottom of the lake to the top of the chinampa.
These chinampas continue to be the foundation for all of Mexico City and play a key role in Mexico City’s ecosystem. If in 30 years the Chinampas are not restored, the canals will dry out and Mexico City will crumble.
Luckily, hope is not lost. With help from people like Ricardo Rodríguez, founder of De La Chinampas, a not-for-profit whose mission is to restore the practice of growing food on the Chinampas. His company sells produce grown on the Chinampas through a CSA, in addition to connecting direct consumers like restaurants to the farmers for the renting of the land for food production. His program started with just 2 farmers and now has over 45 farmers and chinampas being used for agricultural practices.
What to expect on an eco-tour to Xochimilco Chinampas
Xochimilco is normally a party experience. The weekends are packed with people listening to music, drinking enormous Micheladas, and having a very loud, but good time. While it’s super fun, we wanted to see a different side of Xochimilco in Mexico City on an eco-tour with De La Chinampa.
The tour pays for the entire boat, which can seat up to nine people. The price for the boat, which at the time of this writing was $484 or around $53 USD per person. This is definitely a higher price than some of the other Xochimilco boats, costing $18 to $25. However, this tour includes much more than a leisurely stroll through the riverways.
The experience lasts 3 hours and includes a home-cooked meal using ingredients from the chinampas and non-alcoholic drinks. The food was incredible and included hearty dishes like homemade tamales, café de olla, agua fresca, farm cheese, vegetables, and a meat dish.
Our tour guide, Ricardo, is the owner of the tour company and the founder of the CSA, helping rebuild the chinampas. He took us to one of his over 90 chinampas, where he grows vegetables and flowers.
If you don’t want to do the eco-tour to Xochimilco chinampas, you can kayak your way through, too.
Getting to Xochimilco from Mexico City
It takes an hour to get to Xochimilco’s docks (embarcadero) from Mexico City. We took a $20 Uber ride from the center of Mexico City to Embarcadero Cuemanco, where his boat was docked. You can also take a bus or taxi, but given the affordability of Uber in Mexico City, it’s definitely the easiest way to experience this eco-tour of Xochimilco and the chinampas.
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Considering Mexico City is one of the world’s top ten most populated cities, it’s more important than ever to develop a food system that uses restorative, sustainable, organic practices. Not only would it produce food of a higher quality for the residents, but at a lower cost, while rehabilitating the Chinampas and canals. It truly was an incredible experience, and we are so thankful for the work Ricardo is doing.
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