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

 





Elisabeth Ngo



 

February 16, 2026

 

 

## Chinampas and Human-Environmental Interactions in the Basin of Mexico

   ![Elisabeth Ngo Headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum7041/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-02/Ngo_headshot%20%281%29.jpeg?itok=dpnwkvX1) 

 

Elisabeth Ngo is a senior at Harvard College.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](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/succeeding-corona-declassified-hexagon-intelligence-imagery-for-archaeological-and-historical-research/A4FD28FA08B98A32D91AEDAB6D878B8E) 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*.

   ![Chinampas](/sites/g/files/omnuum7041/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-02/Ngo_Chinampas%20%281%29.jpeg?itok=ucfmIIlQ) 

 

Modern *chinampas* in Xochimilco, Mexico City (photo by Elisabeth Ngo).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.



 

 

 



 

 

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