THE VENICE OF MEXICO 



87 



coral red from a weed that thrives in the 

 water. 



The term "floating gardens" was prop- 

 erly applied by the early historians of 

 Mexico to masses of water weeds covered 

 with a layer of rushes bearing a thin 

 layer of soil, employed by the Mexicans 

 at a period when the fluctuating waters 

 of the lakes prevented the formation of 

 permanent chiuampas, and so in the New 

 World the Indians repeated the famed 

 gardens of the lakes of Cashmere. 



FLOATING GARDENS REQUIRE IRRIGATION 



From the abundance at Jose's and on 

 every side it is evident that the Xochim- 

 ilcans are expert gardeners and assidu- 

 ous at their work. Most of their plants 

 are started in seed beds, from which they 

 are transplanted to the chinampas, and 

 it is strange to see boat loads of corn 

 sprouts brought to be planted in this 

 manner. Curiously enough, these morass 

 gardens sometimes require irrigation, 

 which is accomplished by throwing on 

 water from the canal with a wooden 

 scoop. 



While we sit in these peaceful sur- 

 roundings, we cannot but reflect that in 

 some ways it is hard to convince the ordi- 

 nary observer that the modern is the 

 ancient, and make him realize how much 

 the life of this lake village is a vivid ren- 

 dering of that of the prehistoric lake 

 dwelling, whose cycle extended from the 

 rude Stone Age through the Bronze Age 

 to the Iron Age, and whose lost and cast- 

 off objects sunk in the mud, form now a 

 wondrous museum filled with the history 

 of their progress — the romance of art, 

 wars, and love otherwise unchronicled in 

 an era when letters were not known. So 

 the story was repeated in Florida, in 

 Venezuela, in Ireland, in the Vale of 

 Cashmere, in the East Indies, and in 

 various parts of the world where tribes 

 lived over the water for protection. 



The Xochimilcos settled in prehistoric 

 times at a place now called the South of 

 the Valley, and later they extended their 

 villages to the southern slope of Popo- 

 catepetl and along the mountains that 

 connect the great volcano with the Sierra 

 de Ajusco, which overhangs the lovely 

 valley of Mexico. 



MAKING UNFRIENDLY NATURE A SERVANT 



It is said that when the Aztecs came to 

 Anahuac they were not strong in num- 

 ber and were compelled to inhabit the 

 morasses, because they had not power to 

 dispossess the settled populations which 

 had occupied the favored locations. In 

 this seemingly inhospitable but, as we 

 have seen, protecting and stimulating en- 

 vironment, the Aztecs gradually increased 

 in population and culture and became 

 powerful enough to sweep away the an- 

 cient civilizations that occupied the val- 

 ley and make themselves masters of their 

 heritage. 



These movements had been accom- 

 plished when Cortez came on the scene. 

 The vast floods, which were very de- 

 structive to the towns situated on land 

 lying little distance above the water level, 

 did not much incommode the hardy lake 

 dwellers, whose gardens would float, if 

 necessary, riding moored to stakes, until 

 the waters fell. 



The visitor to the homes of the Xochi- 

 milcos may thus reconstruct history that 

 is replete with interest. He will see, as 

 Cortez saw, a people lighter in color than 

 any North American Indians, below me- 

 dium stature, with muscular and well- 

 knit bodies commendably clean through 

 daily ablutions. 



SORROW AT BIRTH ; JOY AT DEATH 



It cannot be said that the Xochimilcan 

 man has an open and ingenuous counte- 

 nance, but it shows force of character 

 and lights up quickly in response to kind- 

 ness and recognition. The young women 

 have round, often ruddy, but rather ex- 

 pressionless faces ; the children are pretty, 

 and the older women are better preserved 

 than the women of the Pueblos of the 

 southwestern United States. Both sexes 

 work hard, and where there is such uni- 

 formity of poverty the struggle for exist- 

 ence makes life a serious matter and en- 

 graves deep lines in the faces of the 

 breadwinners. 



Thus a birth is heralded with mourning 

 and a death with rejoicing. Their music 

 is monotonous and disagreeable to the 

 educated ear, and their amusements seem 

 to be few ; but, given advantages, these 

 people show skill in the arts, and as 



