Exploring Mexico City’s Xochimilco

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September 10, 2009

meksiko Mexico City boasts many wonderful museums, churches and even ancient ruins, but a visit to Xochimilco – otherwise known by some as the “Floating Gardens” – allows visitors to experience life the same way the Aztecs did.

Xochimilco is about a half hour outside of the city center, and easy to get to via subway and light rail. Once at the port, you’ll be greeted by hundreds of colorfully-decorated boats called trajineras, most of which bear women’s names. Your trajinero (guide) will give you a choice of routes to take, and will then steer your boat down the ancient canals, which were once used by the Aztecs.

As your boat floats along, it enters into what is essentially a water-based market. Mariachi bands perform from nearby boats; meanwhile, merchants in other trajineras sell everything from candy apples to beer to handmade rugs and jewelry. There are even some boats where people will make homemade tortillas. As you float, the vendors will shout to you and even climb into your trajinera in an attempt to make a sale; one man selling rugs was so determined to have us buy something from him that he climbed into our boat four times.

However, while Xochimilco attracts many tourists, it is also a popular weekend spot for Mexico City residents. Many families head there every Sunday afternoon (the busiest time) and bring picnic lunches to eat on the boat. There have even been some weddings on the canals! We witnessed a few families celebrating birthdays; one even brought along their own mariachi band to perform as the guests danced on the deck.

Cruising down the waterways through the maze of flashy trajineras was exciting to begin with, but knowing that the Aztecs also used the canals for markets and transport made us feel as if we were truly experiencing history. It was the perfect way to see Mexico City the way the ancients did – and the locals still do.

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