{"id":1123,"date":"2025-04-25T21:27:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T21:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1123"},"modified":"2025-10-18T10:13:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T10:13:31","slug":"the-chinamperos-of-xochimilco-can-this-ancient-farming-tradition-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1123","title":{"rendered":"The Chinamperos of Xochimilco: Can This Ancient Farming Tradition Survive?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In the heart of <strong>Mexico City<\/strong>, a centuries-old agricultural tradition is fighting for survival. The <strong>chinamperos<\/strong> of <strong>Xochimilco<\/strong>, farmers who cultivate crops on floating gardens called <strong>chinampas<\/strong>, have been sustaining the city for generations. But today, <strong>urban sprawl, environmental degradation, and climate change<\/strong> are threatening their ancestral way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ahead of the release of the <strong>2025 Interconnected Disaster Risks report<\/strong>, a team from the <strong>United Nations University<\/strong> visited Xochimilco to hear firsthand how the chinamperos are working to preserve their heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Rich Agricultural Legacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The practice of creating <strong>chinampas<\/strong> dates back to the <strong>Aztecs<\/strong>, who ingeniously layered mud, plants, and branches over shallow lake beds to form <strong>fertile floating islands<\/strong>. This system created a unique and sustainable method of farming, resulting in a sprawling network of <strong>nearly 180 kilometers of canals<\/strong> and gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cI was born and raised in Xochimilco,\u201d says <strong>Lauro Rivera<\/strong>, a 72-year-old beekeeper. \u201cThis place exists because of the hard work of our ancestors. They built the chinampas and anchored them with trees like the ahuejote. Their efforts still shape the land today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Modern Challenges for Ancient Traditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While the chinampas once teemed with <strong>freshwater clams, fish, turtles, and axolotls<\/strong>, pollution and water scarcity have taken a toll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThere were even freshwater clams here,\u201d recalls <strong>Samuel Luna<\/strong>, a 67-year-old vegetable farmer. \u201cNow we are trying to return to more eco-friendly farming methods with fewer pesticides. Maybe we can&#8217;t bring everything back, but we can preserve what remains.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s chinamperos, like Samuel\u2019s grandson <strong>Eric Enr\u00edquez<\/strong>, are determined to continue the tradition, even as climate change makes farming unpredictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cYou no longer know when it will rain or when it will be cold,\u201d Eric explains. \u201cTechnology offers solutions, but not everyone can afford the necessary tools. Farming the chinampas is hard, beautiful work\u2014and we can\u2019t let it disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Preserving a Way of Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The chinampa tradition is not only about food production but also about cultural identity. <strong>Mariana Cruz<\/strong>, a 29-year-old historian, highlights the vital role women have played in this heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cMy great-grandmother farmed the chinampas. She and many women worked alongside men to build this community,\u201d Mariana shares. \u201cThere\u2019s a stereotype that farming equals poverty, but we are proud to come from chinamperos. Their work is as vital as that of any doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>She believes education is key to preserving Xochimilco\u2019s importance, teaching others why protecting its <strong>canals, water systems, and agricultural legacy<\/strong> matters not just for locals but for the entire city\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Future in the Balance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The chinamperos stand at a crossroads. Without significant efforts to <strong>protect the environment, revitalize traditional farming<\/strong>, and <strong>attract new generations<\/strong> to agriculture, a vital part of Mexico City&#8217;s cultural and ecological heritage could vanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their story is a reminder that <strong>sustainability, resilience, and respect for ancestral knowledge<\/strong> are critical\u2014not just for the chinamperos, but for all communities facing the growing impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the heart of Mexico City, a centuries-old agricultural tradition is fighting for survival. The chinamperos of Xochimilco, farmers who cultivate crops on floating gardens called chinampas, have been sustaining the city for generations. But today, urban sprawl, environmental degradation, and climate change are threatening their ancestral way of life. Ahead of the release of [&hellip;]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-topics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Chinamperos of Xochimilco: Can This Ancient Farming Tradition Survive? - Brussels for Human Rights and development<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brhrd.be\/?p=1123\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Chinamperos of Xochimilco: Can This Ancient Farming Tradition Survive? - Brussels for Human Rights and development\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the heart of Mexico City, a centuries-old agricultural tradition is fighting for survival. 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