Xochimilco Mayorality

About

Xochimilco is a borough 21 kms away from Mexico City’s Historic Center. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in the precolonial period. Today, the borough consists of eighteen “barrios”, or neighborhoods, along with fourteen “pueblos”, or villages, covering an area of 125 km2 (48 sq mi). Xochimilco is best known for its canals and “chinampas”, which are the remains of an extensive lake and canal system that connected most of the settlements of the Valley of Mexico. The “chinampas” are a Mesoamerican cultivation technique that consists of floating orchards over the surface of shallow lakes, among which network of waterways are created. Xochimilco is a splendid combination of natural and cultural heritage which has already seven centuries of working life.