MEXICO
Central Region
Ciudad de México
XOCHIMILCO
The "Taco's & Toucan's" Trip
Trajineras, Canals & Chinampas
Friday March 29th, 2019
About an hour south of Mexcio City you'll find the Embarcadero Nuevo Nativitas Xochimilco, your gateway to around 170 kilometres (110 miles) of the Xochimilco canal system that radiates from the southern shores of the neighbouring Lake Xochimilco.
Reportedly there are over 2,500 Trajinera’s (flat bottomed boats) that run people around the canals and floating gardens. These canals are all of what is left of what used to be a vast lake and canal system that extended over most parts of the Valley of Mexico, restricting cities such as Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) and Xochimilco to small islands.
As there are absolutely no motor propulsion allowed, the colourfully decorated vessels are powered with a long wooden pole, not dissimilar to a punt. Goods and services like food, drink, souvenirs and Mariachi bands literally come to you on their own trajinera.
For mind, it felt like a cattle cruise where we went for a 20 minute ride up the canal, pulled up to get fed & watered, then herded back to spend ½ and hour at the trinket stalls. I asked about stepping off at the Gardens, Island of the Dolls or the historic town - it was at this time that the guide seemed to lose all understanding of the English language for some reason.
