Xochimilco: Canals, Chinampas and Living Traditions

Xochimilco brings together a distinctive waterscape with agriculture, culture and regional cuisine. The chinampas, created by people, are still farmed; along the canals, trajinera rides pass by them. Traditions and dishes that give the place its own character add to the experience. You can decide whether to include Xochimilco in your trip mainly for its cultural landscape, waterways or culinary specialties.

Chinampas, Canals and Nature

The chinampas are intensively farmed plots in the lake. Their agricultural system is considered exceptionally productive and sustainable, and is based on the interplay of environmental factors and human creativity. The plots are still used to grow agricultural produce today. Vegetables and herbs grow along the shores of the lakes and canals, including squash blossoms, chilies, quelites, lettuce, purslane and corn. This continued use makes farming an important part of the landscape you can take in on a ride through the canals.

The canals and remaining lakes are also home to the endangered axolotl. Visitors can observe migratory birds and endemic birds along protected canal routes. Xochimilco is also protected as a natural area at the national level. Those especially interested in nature and wildlife will find a different perspective on the waterscape here than on a ride focused mainly on the chinampas and life along the canals.

Rides and Cultural Experiences

The piers welcome visitors for trajinera rides through the many canals and past the chinampas. Cuemanco, in the associated municipality, is a starting point for trajinera tours through the canal network. Another option is a boat ride to Isla de las Muñecas, accessible via the calm, navigable canals. These experiences have different focuses: the trajinera ride travels through the canal network, while the boat trip to the island has a destination of its own.

Culture also shapes the experience. The Centro Histórico de Xochimilco is part of the World Heritage Site; Xochimilco belongs to a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site. Among the most important ceremonies is the transfer of the Mayordomía of the Niñopa at the parish church of San Bernardino de Siena. Día de Muertos events include nighttime illuminations, pre-Hispanic dances, competitions for altars and skulls, colorful sawdust carpets, and performances at various piers and venues.

At the Nativitas and Cuemanco piers, craft markets offer, among other things, items made of wood, ceramics, papier-mâché, copper and wicker, as well as replicas of archaeological objects. The Rotunda stands on the site of the former Centro Ceremonial Xochimilco and is dedicated to Fernando Celada, Quirino Mendoza, Juan Badiano, Francisco Goitia and José Farías Galindo.

Regional Cuisine and Markets

Xochimilco’s cuisine can be explored through a wide variety of dishes. Mextlapique is a tamal made with freshwater fish, roasted and wrapped in corn husks. Mixmole, also called Michimolli, is a fish dish with green sauce. Chileatole combines corn gruel with chili. Elotamalli is a corn tamal. These names represent different corn-based preparations or dishes made with fish, and offer a concrete insight into the place’s culinary tradition.

Necuatole is a pumpkin-based sweet and is among the offerings given to children in Xochimilco on Día de Muertos. In Santiago Tulyehualco, producers continue to make nieve by hand using techniques similar to those of the colonial period; only natural products are used. Every February since 1971, the Feria de la Alegría y el Olivo has been held there in Plaza Quirino Mendoza. It showcases olive products and Alegría, a traditional sweet made from amaranth. The markets in Xochimilco also offer gardening tools, fertilizers, ornamental plants, fruit trees and decorative items.

Choosing Xochimilco as a Destination

From Taxqueña metro station on Line 2, travelers can transfer to the Tren Ligero, which runs to its terminus at Terminal Xochimilco. When choosing a vacation rental, you can first decide whether Xochimilco itself should be the main focus of your trip; you can then base your accommodation search on that decision.

For further orientation, you can also find Álvaro Obregón, Santa Ana Tlacotenco, Cuauhtémoc, Iztapalapa, Azcapotzalco, Coyacán and Mexico City.

For the broader travel overview: Distrito Federal.