File:Young folks' history of Mexico (1883) (14597898588).jpg

Identifier: youngfolkshistor01ober (find matches)
Title: Young folks' history of Mexico
Year: 1883 (1880s)
Authors: Ober, Frederick A. (Frederick Albion), 1849-1913
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Publisher: Boston : Estes and Lauriat
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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at the present day — by innu-merable water-fowl. It was at this period, or a little pre-vious, that tliey constructed those \\on<l&\iu\Jloatingga?dens,upon which they raised their corn and vegetables. There has been much dispute over this subject, as towhether the ancient Mexicans ever really had any suchthings as these floating gardens, as none of them can befound at the present day. There is no doubt that they didhave them, for if we take into account the nature of theirsurroundings : with no firm land extensive enough for cul-tivation, and the nearest shore in possession of enemies,we must see that it was necessary for them to have some-thing of the kind. It is said that they wove together wil-lows and rushes, and upon this floating framework piledgrass, leaves, and mud, thus forming a very fertile soil,always moist and extremely productive. These little gar-dens they could tow about from place to place after theircanoes ; but though writers of a century ago or more claim
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Floating Gardens: 63 to have seen these chinampas, or floating gardens, nonehave existed within the memory of people now hving.What are now called by that name are squares of firmland surrounded by ditches, which may at one time haveformed these gardens, but which have been left by thefalling of the lake, and no longer float. Upon these theyraised their limited supply of vegetables: corn, peppers,chia, beans, and gourds, or pumpkins. (A. D. 1338 or 1340.) It was not long that thisquarrelsome people could live together without fightingamongst themselves, and ten or fifteen years after thefounding of the city the two parties — the Mexicans andthe Tlatelolcans—separated, the latter going to a stillsmaller island near the main one. The Mexicans, how-ever, kept the god, and, though their neighbors were moreprogressive at first, were in the end triumphant. Thoughfor a while each faction had a separate government and itsking, the Mexican is the one that finally absorbed theother, and who

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