city state · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

Xochimilco

1200 CE – 1430 CE (approx.) · capital Xochimilco

A Nahua altepetl on the southern lakes of the Valley of Mexico, famed for its chinampa gardens, conquered by the Mexica around 1430.

Origins

The Xochimilca were one of the Nahua groups said to have migrated from Aztlan and settled in the southern Valley of Mexico in the 12th or 13th century. They established Xochimilco on the shores of Lake Xochimilco around 1200.

Rule and society

Xochimilco was ruled by its own tlatoque and controlled a domain stretching into the hills of Morelos. Its people were masters of chinampa farming, building raised fields of mud and vegetation in the shallow lake, which produced maize, vegetables and flowers in abundance. Their stonework and gardening skill were valued by neighbouring cities.

Decline and legacy

After the fall of the Tepanec Empire, Itzcoatl's Mexica forces conquered Xochimilco around 1430 and made it a tributary of the Aztec Empire, using its labour to build the causeway to Tenochtitlan. Its chinampas survive and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Xochimilco. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/xochimilco
MLA
“Xochimilco.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/xochimilco. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Xochimilco.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/xochimilco.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Xochimilco’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/xochimilco (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻