Thesis Spotlight: Elisabeth Ngo (Chinampas and Human-Environmental Interactions)

Chinampas and Human-Environmental Interactions in the Basin of Mexico

The Basin of Mexico has historically been prone to droughts, some of which—like the drought of One Rabbit in 1454—led to famine, disease, and mass migrations. Although chinampas, a form of lacustrine raised field agriculture, had the potential to be more drought-resilient, it is less clear to what extent the Aztecs used chinampas as a response to drought.

Furthermore, while the chinampa system was highly productive, it has since been largely abandoned, with only a few chinampa zones remaining in Xochimilco, a borough of Mexico City. This raises questions about the dynamics that drove chinampa development and desertion. This thesis uses GIS analysis of declassified HEXAGON satellite imagery to investigate how, if at all, spatial aspects of the locations and sizes of chinampas might provide insight into their role in human-environmental interactions and humans’ responses to droughts. It also draws upon conversations with farmers who cultivate modern chinampas and fields in Teotihuacan to explore the ways that they interface with modern environmental, economic, and social pressures. This research contributes to my joint senior thesis in Anthropology (on the Archaeology track) and Earth and Planetary Science. As such, it aims to apply archaeological methods and theory and bridge both Earth science and anthropological elements. The project considers the chinampas from an environmental perspective and places them in a broader time context, considering the influences of Teotihuacan on their development and chinampas’ legacy in the present, with regard to present-day water management concerns.

Chinampas have been the subject of much study. Much scholarship seems to address chinampas’ role within systems of land ownership and control and use as an economic and political tool, leading to debates regarding the relative importance of top-down versus bottom-up pressures in chinampa construction and use. Other scholars focus on the physical construction of chinampas and the types of crops that would have been cultivated. Still others, especially in the context of Teotihuacan, discuss the symbolic importance of water and its depictions in cultural materials. This project aims to synthesize these approaches to consider how environmental influences may have impacted the various levels of chinampa control, from individual farmers to the broader system. This work will contribute to identifying chinampas in the Mexico City area and understanding the current state of surviving fields. This research may also prompt future exploration into the locations of manantiales (springs) in Teotihuacan and the relationship between spring-fed agriculture and the chinampas. 

Modern chinampas are vulnerable to threats from urban development and climate change, with some farmers worrying that the system may disappear within the next few decades. I therefore hope that my work might encourage greater appreciation of chinampas and reflection regarding how archaeology may be used to inform aspects of chinampa preservation or the development of agriculture systems in the face of water shortages, the falling water table, and other threats to the agriculture and water systems in the Basin of Mexico. I hope my work can incorporate the thoughts and concerns of modern farmers, involving them in the dialogue via their deep, personal understandings of the chinampa system and their collective memory of the past, both within their lifetimes and as part of a longer historical lineage.