Oh, WUE SMITHSONIAN EXPEDITIONS, IQIO-IQII 1 
it would be relatively easy to ex- 
tend anthropological comparison 
to all the rest of the native peo- 
ples of the southern continent. 
Such anthropological compari- 
sons will be greatly facilitated by 
the collections acquired on this 
expedition.” 
Some of the interesting resuits 
of his work are described by Dr. 
Hrdlicka in a pamphlet recently 
published by the Institution. 
THE AZTEC VILLAGE OF 
XOCHIMILCO IN MEXICO 
While returning from his ex- 
plorations in Peru, Dr. Hrdlicka 
stopped at the City of Mexico 
and made an interesting trip to 
an old Aztec village about 15 
miles distant, on the shores of 
Lake Xochimilco, or the “ Place 
of Flowers,” one of the few old 
Aztec towns in existence to-day. 
The village nestles on the shore 
of the lake and is inhabited 16. 8—Clay figure from an old native 
grave in the valley of Chicama, Peru. 
by perhaps a thousand people, ~ ‘ 
mostly Aztecs. It is far surpassed in interest by the lake itself, and 
the many cultivated islands it contains. The development of these 
islands is peculiar and unique, and yet is very simple from an en- 
gineering point of view. It appears that many years ago some of the 
early natives conceived the idea of building islands, which they called 
“ chinampas,” by sinking bound bundles of reeds so as to form rafts 
upon which earth and alluvial soil were placed, and on this more 
bundles of reeds were piled until actual islands began to appear. 
Sometimes when these islands needed reinforcement to prevent their 
washing away, or caving in, willows were planted near the shores to 
form a firm bank and boundary. The islands, of course, gradually 
sank from year to year, but after being covered over with alternate 
layers of soil and reeds, a more substantial piece of land was formed, 
which was capable of cultivation. 
