Photo Walk Nº71 was a special photography tour organized in conjunction with a local project in Tláhuac - "Navegando entre chinampas". We had the unique experience of learning about the ancient pre-Hispanic tradition of cultivating food on man-made islands and tasting some of the traditional recipes made using the fresh produce from there.We met Araceli and her two daughters, our guides, outside the church of San Pedro Apóstol in Tláhuac, had some breakfast consisting of atole (a hot corn-based drink) and pan de elote (corn bread) and an explanation about the history of this area. After photographing the church and the pre-Hispanic rings used in the juego de pelota, we made our way down to the canals and got on our trajinera, a traditional flat-bottomed boat used here.On the boat, we were treated to a lunch consisting of a delicious soup of courgette and greens, tacos with beans and vegetables and hot spicy sauces, and tostadas with a mushroom topping. For drinks, we had pineapple and lime flavoured water and tried mango pulque (a pre-Hispanic fermented drink made from the maguey plant). We learned about the "axolotl" or Mexican salamander which is only found in these waters and is in danger of extinction. Unlike other salamanders, it lives all its life in the water and has both gills and lungs and can re-generate part of its body when necessary. It is now a protected species and the guides brought along Emiliano II, a 2-year old specimen, to show us.Once on Juanito's chinampa, our guides told us about the unique method of cultivation carried out there. They scoop mud from the canal bottom, clean it, and make a bed. Then this is cut up into squares, a hole pressed in the middle of each square using their thumb or finger and seeds are planted in the holes. When the seeds have sprouted, they are transplanted into the fields and amazingly, the chinamperos can have more than four harvests a year. We were able to participate in this activity and then picked some vegetables to take home with us.With our arms full of fresh radishes, beetroot, Swiss chard, lettuces and cilantro, we got on the trajinera again to return to our starting point, photographing the canals and birds and even having a turn at pushing the boat along with a pole before making our way back to the church.Leaving this rural enclave behind us, it was back to the noise and traffic of the big city.
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Margaret MetcalfeBorn to travel, explore and share photos and experiences Archives
May 2019
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