chinampa

thumb|300px|right|Modern chinampas thumb|right|300px|The lake system within the Valley of Mexico at the time of the [[Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire, showing distribution of the chinampas.]]

Chinampa ( ) is a technique used in Mesoamerican agriculture which relies on small, rectangular areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico. The word chinampa has Nahuatl origins, chinampa meaning “in the fence of reeds”. They are built up on wetlands of a lake or freshwater swamp for agricultural purposes, and their proportions ensure optimal moisture retention. This method was also used and occupied most of Lake Xochimilco. The United Nations designated it a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System in 2018.