Xochimilco Ecological Park and Plant Market
Encyclopedia
Xochimilco Ecological Park and Plant Market is a natural reserve or park, with a thirteen hectare plant market, the largest in Latin America
. The park and market are located in the southern Mexico City borough of Xochimilco
, about 23 km south of the historic center of the city
. The park was inaugurated in 1993, on chinampa
s (artificial lake islands) which had been previously declared as part of a World Heritage site
. However, the area’s ecology was badly degraded, and the park was established in order to revitalize and preserve the ecosystem. Success has been mixed. While much of the wetlands have been recharged, pollution and illegal settlements in the area remain as threats. As the park needs to be self sustaining economically, there are a number of ways that the park raises money. One of the best known of these is the Xochimilco or Cuemanco Plant Market, which rents stalls to ornamental plant producers/sellers near the main entrance of the park.
, between the Calle de Miramontes and the headquarters of the Secretary of the Navy
. This area of Xochimilco is known as Cuemanco, and for that reason, the park and market are also sometimes referred to with this name. The population around the area is a mix of urban, semi urban and rural settlements. No one is permitted to live in the park. It is the largest park in Mexico City after Chapultepec
, and considered to be one of the “lungs” of Mexico City. The park is divided by the Anillo Periférico, with the section north of the road smaller than the southern section.
The park has agreements with the public schools and receives 150,000 school children each year.
Much of the park’s territory is dedicated to chinampa
s. Chinampas are artificial islands created on the shallow waters of the lakes starting in the pre Hispanic period
. These islands began as rafts made with tree branches and other materials, which were then loaded with soil and mud from the lake bottom and tied to ahuejote or other kinds of trees to anchor them. Over time, these rafts would sink and pile up on the shallow lake bottom and eventually become fixed islands. As these islands multiplied in number, they became separated by canals, which are necessary to keep a constant supply of water to the chinampa. The canals of the parks were created by this method. In the past, chinampas were primarily used for the growing of foodstuffs, but today, most of what is raised is ornamental plants. Much of ecological system was restored over a five year period, then the area opened as a park in 1993 in order to create tourism, hinder the urbanization of the area and to preserve the local ecology. Most of the park’s area an aquatic environment of lake, canal or chinampa with some forested areas, much of it planted with ahuejotes, pines and eucalyptus
. Most of these chinampas have been transformed into “agro-ecological” land, meaning it is an ecological preserve and farmland at the same time. This area extends from Cuemanco to Mixquic in the Tláhuac
borough, all connected by a series of canals. These are what made Xochimilco a World Heritage Site. The aim of this area is to preserve an environment known to the Aztecs over 500 years ago.
In addition to the chinampas, restoration efforts expanded a lake to 54 hectares and created two smaller artificial ones of about a hectare each. Facing these waterways is the Cuemanco embarcadero (docks) from which trajinera boats depart, near the best-preserved chinampas in Xochimilco. Trajineras are flat bottomed barges similar to gondola
s. These were used in the past to move merchandise around the vast lake and canal system of the Valley of Mexico
. Today, most are used for tourism. Tourist trajineras have been somewhat modified from ancient ones with the addition of a roof for shade, tables and chairs for picnicking and a large brightly decorated arch, often with a woman’s name over top. In October and November for Day of the Dead
, the Cuemanco embarcadero hosts a play about La Llorona
, a spectre said to roam parts of Mexico at night looking for her children. The play is called Cihuacóatl, Leyenda de la Llorona.” This version of the story is based on an old goddess of the area called Cihuacóatl, whose story is similar to the current folk tale. Spectators are taken from the embarcadero to the Tlilac Lake on trajineras along canals with light and sound effects. The play takes place on a chinampa in the lake. These boats, along with the associated plant market, are the best-known features of the park.
The park is divided into four areas: Recreational, the Xochilta Garden, the Bird Sanctuary and the Botanical Garden. The park has a number of other attractions. There is an two greenhouses, bicycle and jogging paths, the Cuemanco canal for rowing, a small zoo, an aviary managed by SEDESOL, an area with archeological artifacts, enclosures for deer and coyotes in rehabilitation, playgrounds, 35 fields and courts for sports and areas for picnicking with palapa
s. The park’s information center has displays related to the flora and fauna of the area. Although the park is owned by the city, it is managed by a private civil association called the Patronato del Parque Ecológico de Xochimilco Asociación Civil, with the aim of making the park self sustaining economically. There is an entrance fee of twenty pesos, and bicycles, ATVs and boats available to rent. The plant market is also part of this, as stalls are rented out to sellers.
One of the park’s functions is to provide shelter for wildlife. The most iconic species to Xochimilco is the axolotl
, salamander species considered to be an incarnation of a god by the Aztecs because of its ability to regrow certain body parts. This animal is highly endangered and in fact is no longer found wild in the canals of Xochimilco. It is kept from extinction through the efforts of organizations such as Umbral Axochiatl, which works in conjunction with the Instituto de Biología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM
) These have facilities at the park. Other research facilities include a meteorology
station and a laboratory to test the soil and water.
More successful as been the preservation of areas to host bird species, both those that live in the area year-round and those who migrate here in the winter. Many are seen on the large lake, called Huetzalen. The waters contain reeds, another plant called chacatules, often used in crafts, aquatic birds, insects and fish. The area is very quiet, especially compared to the urban area which nearly surrounds it. Migratory birds can be seen in the area starting in October, but the best time to see them is between December and April. Registered birds include sparrow
s, grackles
, stork
s, hummingbird
s, eagles, heron
s, moorhen
s and egret
s. There are 15 species of ducks both native and migratory.
Another migratory bird seen in the winter is the great egret
, which grows to up to a meter in height. Some rare birds which have been seen here include the common kestrel
, the osprey
and certain types of owl. The most commonly observed migratory species is the American white pelican
, which was not seen in the area before the lake and canals were restored. However, this species has only been seen in numbers since the 2000s, with 500 reported as of 2009. These birds migrate here from Canada and the northern US. Another important species is the common kingfisher, which was earlier thought to be extinct in the area, but has been seen again.
One drawback of the park is its lack of mature shade trees as they were planted when the park was founded in the 1990s. The park’s ecology remains in danger from pollution associated with urban sprawl. The water is contaminated by sewerage and household garbage, damaging flora, driving away wildlife and risking the health of surrounding residents.
. This live plant market and warehouse is the largest of its type in Latin America
. It is the main money making operation of the ecological park, renting out 1,700 stalls to sellers of live plants and related items, much the same way as Mexican traditional markets
. Most of the sellers are producers. However, only about 600 stalls are active selling points, the rest are empty or used for storage.
The most important related products made and sold at the market are flowerpots and vases. As the growing of ornamental plants is a relatively new phenomenon for Xochimilco, so is the making of these wares. Many craftsmen taught themselves how to create them. Most are made from traditional ceramics, but some are made with other materials including recycled ones. Most are made by the sellers themselves and painted in bright colors and/or decorated with pebbles, crystals and other items.
In addition to the plant vending areas, there is also a cactus garden and an areas with restaurants. The market has at least seven stands with serve beer without the necessary permits and have been accused of selling to underage students, from the three universities and prepas near the area – UAM Xochimilco
, ITESM-CCM
and Colegio de Bachilleres#4. A number attract student patrons by playing popular music on large loudspeakers. These stands are particularly popular with students on Fridays.
Although the installation of the market and other money making operations have proven to be successful, this plant market did have financial and operating difficulties in 2001. The financial difficulties were associated with losses in the funds destined for improvements and repairs. One reason for this was that a large number of the stalls had not yet been rented. Another problem was ongoing disputes between plant sellers and the then manager of the market, which required intervention by borough authorities. This market is the largest in Xochimilco but there are several others in the borough also dedicated to plants. These include Madreselva in the Bosque de Nativitas
, Mercado Xochimilco, the Palacio de la Flor and the historic market of the San Luis Tlaxialtemalco community.
land since the pre Hispanic period
. Xochimilco is one of few areas left in the Valley of Mexico
that still has a significant number of chinampas. The area was declared a biological reserve by the Mexican government in 1984 and a World Heritage Site
in 1987 by UNESCO
.
Until 1988, the park land had been privately owned. However, the area had severely degraded with lakes and canals going dry and the salinity and pollution of the remaining water making farming nearly impossible. The pollution was primarily coming from the Buenaventura River, with carried with it dirty waters from other rivers in the south of the city. By the 1980s, these chinampa farmers had been prohibited from growing any edible plants on their lands.
The city and federal governments conceived and began to implement a plan to save Mexico City’s remaining chinampas called the Xochimilco Ecological Rescue Plan (Plan de Rescate Ecológico de Xochimilco), the center of which was the establishment of the park. The goal the project is to restore the chinampa ecosystem here to what it was during the Aztec Empire and then preserve them that way. The area was recharged with treated water to reinvigorate and create much of the surface water that is there today. Native vegetation was brought in by biologists and botanists. To restore soils, much of the sanitary debris from the 1985 earthquake
and soils dug from the building of the Metro
was brought in.
After five years of work, the park was opened to the public in 1993. Eight years after its establishment, it already had 240,000 trees and 500,000 other kinds of plants over 210 hectares. However, expropriation of the land was fought by the chinampa owners for years after it occurred. The most problematic time for the park was in 2001, eight years after its opening. Despite major investments and efforts into restoration, there were still very serious contamination problems and a number of ejido
lands that had been appropriated in the 1980s, were given back to owners by the courts. The setback caused a number of local organizations to denounce the project as a failure and demand that then Mexico City mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador investigate.
Since then the park has managed to survive and be self sustaining. However, serious environmental problems continue to plague that park and the rest of chinampa lands in Xochimilco. Pollution of the waters in the lakes canals continue to be serious, as sewerage and household garbage finds its way into the water. However, the most pressing problem is invasions of chinampa land by illegal settlements. In 2004 and 2007, families who had been swindled into illegally buying lands in the park lost their homes as they were evicted. Many people living illegally on the land have organized to put political pressure on authorities to let them remain with mixed success. The fact that there are still illegal settlements in the park, which is land designated as a World Heritage site has put the borough at odds with UNESCO. UNESCO wants all illegal settlements out in order to preserve the site’s status but borough officials claim this would not be feasible.
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. The park and market are located in the southern Mexico City borough of Xochimilco
Xochimilco
Xochimilco is one of the sixteen delegaciones or boroughs within Mexican Federal District. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in the pre-Hispanic period...
, about 23 km south of the historic center of the city
Historic center of Mexico City
The historic center of Mexico City is also known as the "Centro" or "Centro Histórico." This neighborhood is focused on the Zócalo or main plaza in Mexico City and extends in all directions for a number of blocks with its farthest extent being west to the Alameda Central The Zocalo is the largest...
. The park was inaugurated in 1993, on chinampa
Chinampa
Chinampa is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico.-Description:...
s (artificial lake islands) which had been previously declared as part of a World Heritage site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. However, the area’s ecology was badly degraded, and the park was established in order to revitalize and preserve the ecosystem. Success has been mixed. While much of the wetlands have been recharged, pollution and illegal settlements in the area remain as threats. As the park needs to be self sustaining economically, there are a number of ways that the park raises money. One of the best known of these is the Xochimilco or Cuemanco Plant Market, which rents stalls to ornamental plant producers/sellers near the main entrance of the park.
Description of the park
The park extends over 215 hectares of area in the borough of Xochimilco, 23 km south of the historic center of Mexico CityHistoric center of Mexico City
The historic center of Mexico City is also known as the "Centro" or "Centro Histórico." This neighborhood is focused on the Zócalo or main plaza in Mexico City and extends in all directions for a number of blocks with its farthest extent being west to the Alameda Central The Zocalo is the largest...
, between the Calle de Miramontes and the headquarters of the Secretary of the Navy
Secretary of the Navy (Mexico)
In Mexico, the Secretary of the Navy is a member of the federal executive cabinet with responsibility for managing the country's navy and marine forces. The secretary is appointed by the President of the Republic and heads the Secretariat of the Navy...
. This area of Xochimilco is known as Cuemanco, and for that reason, the park and market are also sometimes referred to with this name. The population around the area is a mix of urban, semi urban and rural settlements. No one is permitted to live in the park. It is the largest park in Mexico City after Chapultepec
Chapultepec
Chapultepec Park, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" in Mexico City, is the largest city park in Latin America, measuring in total just over 686 hectares. Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of the park's main functions is to be an ecological space in the vast...
, and considered to be one of the “lungs” of Mexico City. The park is divided by the Anillo Periférico, with the section north of the road smaller than the southern section.
The park has agreements with the public schools and receives 150,000 school children each year.
Much of the park’s territory is dedicated to chinampa
Chinampa
Chinampa is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico.-Description:...
s. Chinampas are artificial islands created on the shallow waters of the lakes starting in the pre Hispanic period
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
. These islands began as rafts made with tree branches and other materials, which were then loaded with soil and mud from the lake bottom and tied to ahuejote or other kinds of trees to anchor them. Over time, these rafts would sink and pile up on the shallow lake bottom and eventually become fixed islands. As these islands multiplied in number, they became separated by canals, which are necessary to keep a constant supply of water to the chinampa. The canals of the parks were created by this method. In the past, chinampas were primarily used for the growing of foodstuffs, but today, most of what is raised is ornamental plants. Much of ecological system was restored over a five year period, then the area opened as a park in 1993 in order to create tourism, hinder the urbanization of the area and to preserve the local ecology. Most of the park’s area an aquatic environment of lake, canal or chinampa with some forested areas, much of it planted with ahuejotes, pines and eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
. Most of these chinampas have been transformed into “agro-ecological” land, meaning it is an ecological preserve and farmland at the same time. This area extends from Cuemanco to Mixquic in the Tláhuac
Tláhuac
Tláhuac is one of the 16 delegaciones into which Mexico's Federal District is divided. It is located on the east edge of the district and is largely rural in character. The main town, San Pedro Tláhuac, is situated alongside a lake, and is the site of a 16th century church. The borough had a 2010...
borough, all connected by a series of canals. These are what made Xochimilco a World Heritage Site. The aim of this area is to preserve an environment known to the Aztecs over 500 years ago.
In addition to the chinampas, restoration efforts expanded a lake to 54 hectares and created two smaller artificial ones of about a hectare each. Facing these waterways is the Cuemanco embarcadero (docks) from which trajinera boats depart, near the best-preserved chinampas in Xochimilco. Trajineras are flat bottomed barges similar to gondola
Gondola
The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in...
s. These were used in the past to move merchandise around the vast lake and canal system of the Valley of Mexico
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
. Today, most are used for tourism. Tourist trajineras have been somewhat modified from ancient ones with the addition of a roof for shade, tables and chairs for picnicking and a large brightly decorated arch, often with a woman’s name over top. In October and November for Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality...
, the Cuemanco embarcadero hosts a play about La Llorona
La Llorona
La Llorona is a widespread legend in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Central America. Although several variations exist, the basic story tells of a beautiful woman by the name of Maria killing her children by drowning them, in order to be with the man that she loved. When the man rejects her, she kills...
, a spectre said to roam parts of Mexico at night looking for her children. The play is called Cihuacóatl, Leyenda de la Llorona.” This version of the story is based on an old goddess of the area called Cihuacóatl, whose story is similar to the current folk tale. Spectators are taken from the embarcadero to the Tlilac Lake on trajineras along canals with light and sound effects. The play takes place on a chinampa in the lake. These boats, along with the associated plant market, are the best-known features of the park.
The park is divided into four areas: Recreational, the Xochilta Garden, the Bird Sanctuary and the Botanical Garden. The park has a number of other attractions. There is an two greenhouses, bicycle and jogging paths, the Cuemanco canal for rowing, a small zoo, an aviary managed by SEDESOL, an area with archeological artifacts, enclosures for deer and coyotes in rehabilitation, playgrounds, 35 fields and courts for sports and areas for picnicking with palapa
Palapa
Palapa is a series of communication satellites owned by Indosat, an Indonesian telecommunication company.The name Palapa also alludes to "Sumpah Palapa" the oath taken by Gajah Mada, a 14th century Prime Minister of the Javanese Majapahit Empire described in the Pararaton...
s. The park’s information center has displays related to the flora and fauna of the area. Although the park is owned by the city, it is managed by a private civil association called the Patronato del Parque Ecológico de Xochimilco Asociación Civil, with the aim of making the park self sustaining economically. There is an entrance fee of twenty pesos, and bicycles, ATVs and boats available to rent. The plant market is also part of this, as stalls are rented out to sellers.
One of the park’s functions is to provide shelter for wildlife. The most iconic species to Xochimilco is the axolotl
Axolotl
The axolotl , Ambystoma mexicanum, is a neotenic salamander, closely related to the Tiger Salamander. Larvae of this species fail to undergo metamorphosis, so the adults remain aquatic and gilled. It is also called ajolote...
, salamander species considered to be an incarnation of a god by the Aztecs because of its ability to regrow certain body parts. This animal is highly endangered and in fact is no longer found wild in the canals of Xochimilco. It is kept from extinction through the efforts of organizations such as Umbral Axochiatl, which works in conjunction with the Instituto de Biología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM
Unam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
) These have facilities at the park. Other research facilities include a meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
station and a laboratory to test the soil and water.
More successful as been the preservation of areas to host bird species, both those that live in the area year-round and those who migrate here in the winter. Many are seen on the large lake, called Huetzalen. The waters contain reeds, another plant called chacatules, often used in crafts, aquatic birds, insects and fish. The area is very quiet, especially compared to the urban area which nearly surrounds it. Migratory birds can be seen in the area starting in October, but the best time to see them is between December and April. Registered birds include sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
s, grackles
Quiscalus
The avian genus Quiscalus contains six of the ten species of grackle, gregarious passerine birds in the Icterid family. They are native to North and South America...
, stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s, hummingbird
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s, eagles, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s, moorhen
Moorhen
Moorhens, sometimes called marsh hens, are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Gallinula....
s and egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
s. There are 15 species of ducks both native and migratory.
Another migratory bird seen in the winter is the great egret
Great Egret
The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Heron, is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized...
, which grows to up to a meter in height. Some rare birds which have been seen here include the common kestrel
Common Kestrel
The Common Kestrel is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel, or Old World Kestrel. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called "the kestrel".This species...
, the osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
and certain types of owl. The most commonly observed migratory species is the American white pelican
American White Pelican
The American White Pelican is a large aquatic bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America, in winter....
, which was not seen in the area before the lake and canals were restored. However, this species has only been seen in numbers since the 2000s, with 500 reported as of 2009. These birds migrate here from Canada and the northern US. Another important species is the common kingfisher, which was earlier thought to be extinct in the area, but has been seen again.
One drawback of the park is its lack of mature shade trees as they were planted when the park was founded in the 1990s. The park’s ecology remains in danger from pollution associated with urban sprawl. The water is contaminated by sewerage and household garbage, damaging flora, driving away wildlife and risking the health of surrounding residents.
The Cuemanco Plant Market
The Xochimilco Plant Market, also called the Cuemanco Market, sits on an extension of 13 hectares of park land near the main entrance on Canal Nacional, where it crosses the Anillo Períferico OrienteAnillo Periférico
The Anillo Periférico is the name given to the outer beltway of Mexico City. The beltway gained major media attention when the Mexico City mayor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, started a project to turn a southern section of the ring into a two-story highway...
. This live plant market and warehouse is the largest of its type in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. It is the main money making operation of the ecological park, renting out 1,700 stalls to sellers of live plants and related items, much the same way as Mexican traditional markets
Traditional fixed markets in Mexico
Traditional fixed markets in Mexico go by a variety of names such as "mercados públicos" , "mercados municipales" or even more often simply "mercados"...
. Most of the sellers are producers. However, only about 600 stalls are active selling points, the rest are empty or used for storage.
The most important related products made and sold at the market are flowerpots and vases. As the growing of ornamental plants is a relatively new phenomenon for Xochimilco, so is the making of these wares. Many craftsmen taught themselves how to create them. Most are made from traditional ceramics, but some are made with other materials including recycled ones. Most are made by the sellers themselves and painted in bright colors and/or decorated with pebbles, crystals and other items.
In addition to the plant vending areas, there is also a cactus garden and an areas with restaurants. The market has at least seven stands with serve beer without the necessary permits and have been accused of selling to underage students, from the three universities and prepas near the area – UAM Xochimilco
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana
The Metropolitan Autonomous University is a public university located in Mexico City, Mexico...
, ITESM-CCM
Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico City
Tecnológico de Monterrey, campus Ciudad de Mexico is located in the Tlalpan borough of Mexico City near the intersection of Periferico Sur and Calzada México-Xochimilco. It is physically small, densely-packed campus that is divided into two parts. In one are the academic and administrative...
and Colegio de Bachilleres#4. A number attract student patrons by playing popular music on large loudspeakers. These stands are particularly popular with students on Fridays.
Although the installation of the market and other money making operations have proven to be successful, this plant market did have financial and operating difficulties in 2001. The financial difficulties were associated with losses in the funds destined for improvements and repairs. One reason for this was that a large number of the stalls had not yet been rented. Another problem was ongoing disputes between plant sellers and the then manager of the market, which required intervention by borough authorities. This market is the largest in Xochimilco but there are several others in the borough also dedicated to plants. These include Madreselva in the Bosque de Nativitas
Bosque de Nativitas Park, Xochimilco
Bosque de Nativitas Park is located in the Mexico City borough of Xochimilco, just south of the Xochimilco Square and adjacent of one of the docks of the Xochimilco canals between Madreselva Street and the Xochimilco-Tulyehulaco highway. The parks is 12.2 hectares with ash, pine and other temperate...
, Mercado Xochimilco, the Palacio de la Flor and the historic market of the San Luis Tlaxialtemalco community.
History
Much of the area of the park has been chinampaChinampa
Chinampa is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico.-Description:...
land since the pre Hispanic period
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
. Xochimilco is one of few areas left in the Valley of Mexico
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
that still has a significant number of chinampas. The area was declared a biological reserve by the Mexican government in 1984 and a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 1987 by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
Until 1988, the park land had been privately owned. However, the area had severely degraded with lakes and canals going dry and the salinity and pollution of the remaining water making farming nearly impossible. The pollution was primarily coming from the Buenaventura River, with carried with it dirty waters from other rivers in the south of the city. By the 1980s, these chinampa farmers had been prohibited from growing any edible plants on their lands.
The city and federal governments conceived and began to implement a plan to save Mexico City’s remaining chinampas called the Xochimilco Ecological Rescue Plan (Plan de Rescate Ecológico de Xochimilco), the center of which was the establishment of the park. The goal the project is to restore the chinampa ecosystem here to what it was during the Aztec Empire and then preserve them that way. The area was recharged with treated water to reinvigorate and create much of the surface water that is there today. Native vegetation was brought in by biologists and botanists. To restore soils, much of the sanitary debris from the 1985 earthquake
1985 Mexico City earthquake
The 1985 Mexico City earthquake, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck Mexico City on the early morning of 19 September 1985 at around 7:19 AM , caused the deaths of at least 10,000 people and serious damage to the greater Mexico City Area. The complete seismic event...
and soils dug from the building of the Metro
Mexico City Metro
The Mexico City Metro , officially called Sistema de Transporte Colectivo, is a metro system that serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City...
was brought in.
After five years of work, the park was opened to the public in 1993. Eight years after its establishment, it already had 240,000 trees and 500,000 other kinds of plants over 210 hectares. However, expropriation of the land was fought by the chinampa owners for years after it occurred. The most problematic time for the park was in 2001, eight years after its opening. Despite major investments and efforts into restoration, there were still very serious contamination problems and a number of ejido
Ejido
The ejido system is a process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community. This use of community land was a common practice during the time of Aztec rule in Mexico...
lands that had been appropriated in the 1980s, were given back to owners by the courts. The setback caused a number of local organizations to denounce the project as a failure and demand that then Mexico City mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador investigate.
Since then the park has managed to survive and be self sustaining. However, serious environmental problems continue to plague that park and the rest of chinampa lands in Xochimilco. Pollution of the waters in the lakes canals continue to be serious, as sewerage and household garbage finds its way into the water. However, the most pressing problem is invasions of chinampa land by illegal settlements. In 2004 and 2007, families who had been swindled into illegally buying lands in the park lost their homes as they were evicted. Many people living illegally on the land have organized to put political pressure on authorities to let them remain with mixed success. The fact that there are still illegal settlements in the park, which is land designated as a World Heritage site has put the borough at odds with UNESCO. UNESCO wants all illegal settlements out in order to preserve the site’s status but borough officials claim this would not be feasible.