Essay On Aztec Farming

Aztec Farming has become a key part of American society and most definitely was a brilliant idea by the aztec farming community. Certainly there were a number of techniques used in the Aztec empire. And many of these techniques are being used in our modern day culture. After researching on Aztec farming, the Aztecs used a method called “chinampas.” Chinampas are 30m by 2.5m and` were staked out on the lake bed. A fence was woven between the stakes, and the area would be filled in with mud and vegetation. The next rectangle would be parallel to this one, with room for a canal in between, where canoes could pass through. These canals of course offered irrigation, and provided food of their own such as fish and water fowl. Most times, willows
Farmers irrigated the rich soil directly from the nearby canals. The canal system attracted fish, providing another source of food, and waterfowl nested in the willows and other swampy areas. Farmers easily reached their crops using shallow-draft boats, fishing on the way to and from work. The Aztecs planted smaller farms on the mainland as well, mostly to supply fresh vegetables to private citizens. This way of farming was a major factor of how the Aztecs adapted to the land. After arriving to their destination they found out that they had bit off more than could chew and decided to go back to their roots by doing something they all knew could benefit not only themselves, but the colonies to form after them. Due to the fact that the Aztecs didn't have beasts of burden like oxen and horses to plow fields and help with farming, or tools like plows, they used pointed sticks to dig holes to drop seeds into. They also cleared land in a prolific manner, by using the slash-and-burn technique, named appropriately because the process involves chopping down and then burning sections of forest to be used for agricultural