THE FLOATING GARDENS OF MEXICO 
By Beatrice Erskine 
XHE glory of the floating gardens of Mex- 
A ieo has in a great measure departed, 
but there remains much that is unusual, 
quaint and beautiful. They consist of meas¬ 
ured squares of ground composed of layers of 
turf and soil bound together and secured to 
the bottom by means of long willow stakes 
which frequently take root in the mud. These 
squares of cultivated land are intersected by 
narrow dykes which cut through them at 
right angles, and they still float on the surface 
of the water, although they are not navigable 
as they were in the old days. In those days 
when dusky princesses, in their gondolas, 
visited their chinampas or floating gardens, 
they must have been, according to all accounts, 
brilliant with color and sweet with the scent 
of many flowers. In these days, although 
flowers are still grown there and, in the season 
of poppies, the banks of the Viga Canal pre¬ 
sent a vision of pink and scarlet, the chief 
products are vegetables, a fact which is apt to 
disappoint the traveler. Cabbages are very 
good things in their way, no doubt, and so is 
Indian corn; but to any one who has pictured 
something romantic, the reality lags behind. 
All the same, the reality is both picturesque 
and interesting, as the accompanying illus¬ 
trations will show, and the aquatic gardeners 
in their queer little dug-out canoes which 
rather resemble coffins in size and shape, 
dart in and out of their waterways with an 
address and an agility which is delightful 
to watch. 
The history of these gardens dates back to 
the thirteenth century. When the Spaniards 
conquered Mexico in 1519, they found the 
city of Tenochtitlan, the ancient city of Mex¬ 
ico, in an advanced state of civilization. 
However much modern authorities may dif¬ 
fer as to the exact truth or likelihood of these 
accounts, they are all agreed that there were 
stone buildings, aqueducts, causeways and 
other constructions which showed engineering 
skill, as well as manufactures which proved 
artistic ability. The genius of the natives 
was shown to great advantage in the swamps 
and marshy lands, which surrounded the 
capital city, for here they overcame many 
difficulties. It appears that great clumps of 
soil and turf would often break away from 
the shore, and the thrifty native learned to 
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