User:Michaelj82/sandbox

The shoreline of the Lake Chalco region was successful in its early history. Unlike its counterparts to the North, Lake Chalco's water was freshwater and was abundant with fish. These factors lead to a period of growth in the Lake Chalco region, as around 500 BC the Chalco region was one of the most populated and dense areas in the Basin of Mexico. Around 500 BC there were around 21,810 inhabitants in Chalco, the highest at that time. Its density was also the highest at 109.1 people per hectare. After the emergence of Teotihuacan, the population dropped off greatly. However, there was another emergence of population in the region of Lake Chalco, and this was around 1400 AC, the population going from 75.0 people per hectare to 150 people per hectare.

Conveniently, it is said that chinampas (in their current form) were introduced to the Chalco-Xochimilco lake bed sometime after 1400 AD. It is highly probable that the growth of the Lake Chalco region was in correlation to the growth of chinampa farming. However, this growth was not due to Lake Chalco inhabitants discovering chinampa techniques, as they existed on a limited scale from 300-1350 AD. The Aztec empire, led by King Itzcoatl conquered the Southern region (Lake Chalco and Xochimilco) and used this area for chinampa development. The Aztec Triple Alliance needed large amounts of foodstuffs to maintain the growth of Tenochtitlan and the control of other communities through tribute; therefore, they conquered lands optimal for chinampa farming. The Triple Alliance did farm other areas of the valley, however, due to arid conditions the chinampa zone was optimal for their empire. During the last years of Itzcoatl’s reign, he constructed a cauaseway that linked Tenochtitlan to towns near Xochimilco. After the Spaniards came to the Valley of Mexico, and this land was no longer supported by the Aztec infrastructure; therefore, chinampa production died down.