Now that we’ve uncovered why the Aztec capital had to be founded in the middle of a lake, why don’t we unveil one of the most stunning secrets in the history of engineering? The structures that guaranteed the empire’s food security: The ancient, yet still-living marvels called Chinampas.
Chinampa is the name of the man-made islands that allowed the Aztec capital to flourish in the middle of the lake. The word comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, and it means “on the square made of reeds”. However, these wonders of agro, hydro and bio-engineering were invented thousands of years before the Aztecs even existed, which makes this technology even more stunning.
The builders would prepare platforms using logs and cover them with nutrient-rich mud from the lakebed. Since the area is naturally high in minerals due to volcanic activity, the soil was exceptionally fertile. Finally they would plant a native species of willow tree along the perimeter so the growing roots would eventually weave together, containing and anchoring the entire structure. These trees are called Ahuejote meaning “water willow tree”.
Yet, even more fascinating than the organic technique itself is the fact that philosophy and spirituality were present at the very core of this scientific advance! Agriculturists would grow squash, whose leaves spread across the ground to keep the moisture in. Meanwhile the maize served as the vertical axis for beans to climb, which in turn provided nitrogen to the soil to feed the other crops in a silent chemical dialogue that maximized growth. You might be surprised to learn that some specialists state that the Nahuatl word for One (Ce), comes from the first syllable of the word Maize (Centli). Keep in mind that maize constituted the vertical axis, the support for the nitrogen provider.
In accordance with their worldview, where all knowledge was an indivisible unit, Aztecs and their neighbors believed that maize was the equivalent of human bones, beans represented the muscles and tendons, and squash the flesh. It was bio-engineering at its best.
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