Xochimilco

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xochimilco
location
Symbols
coat of arms
coat of arms
Basic data
Country Mexico
Capital district Mexico city
surface 118.6 km²
Residents 415.007 (2010)
density 3,500.5 inhabitants per km²
Website xochimilco.df.gob.mx
INEGI no. 09013
politics
Jefe delegacional Israel Moreno Rivera
The Parque Ecológico of Xochimilco
The Parque Ecológico of Xochimilco

Coordinates: 19 ° 16 ′  N , 99 ° 6 ′  W

Xochimilco [ sotʃiˈmilko ] is one of the 16 city districts (Delegaciones) of Mexico City , located about 25 km southeast of the city center and covers an area of ​​118.6 km² with 415,007 inhabitants. In addition to the actual Xochimilco, the Delegación includes 93 other small towns. Together with the historic center of the city, Xochimilco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is known today primarily for its "floating gardens" .

The history of Xochimilco goes back to pre-Columbian times. As early as the Mesoamerican Early Classical period , the shores and islands housed various peoples of unknown origin. At the beginning of the post-classical period , Xochimilco was an important altépetl (city-state), which was subjugated by the Aztecs in the 15th century. During the colonial period and the beginnings of independence, Xochimilco was transformed into the breadbasket of Mexico City.

14 indigenous peoples live in the area of ​​Xochimilco , which despite the progress of urbanization still largely retain their traditional culture. Despite all this, the northern part of Xochimilco is fully integrated into the urban area and has several industrial areas, which are of great economic importance for the city district. The mountain region in the south and the central lake area also form the capital's largest nature reserve.

Since September 2019, Xochimilco has been the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of the same name .

Name and emblem

emblem
Glyph of Xochimilco from the Tira de la peregrinación

The name Xochimilco comes from Nahuatl and is a combination of the words xōchi (tl) "flower", mīl (li) "field" and the local suffix -co and therefore translates as "the place of the flower field".

Xochimilco does not have an officially established emblem , but representations are in use which are derived from those preserved historical documents of the pre-Columbian period, such as the Aztec codices from central Mexico. In the "Tira de la peregrinación", the glyph Xochimilco describes a tribe that set out from Aztlán with the Aztecs . The pre-Columbian glyph is composed of a logogram for cultivated earth and a representation of a flower on it.

geography

The highest peaks of Xochimilco
Cima Teuhtli.jpg
Summit of the Teuhtli volcano, at the meeting point of
the three municipal districts Milpa Alta , Tláhuac and Xochimilco.
Surname Altitude Coordinates
Teuhtli volcano 2,710 19 ° 13 ′  N , 99 ° 2 ′  W.
Tzompol volcano 2,650 19 ° 12 ′  N , 99 ° 7 ′  W.
Xochitepec mountain 2,500 19 ° 15 ′  N , 99 ° 8 ′  W.
Tlacuallelli mountain 2,420 19 ° 14 ′  N , 99 ° 5 ′  W.
Source: INEGI , 2004: 1.3.

With its 122 km², the area of ​​Xochimilco makes up 7.9% of the area of ​​Mexico City and extends at the extreme limits from 19 ° 19 'to 19 ° 09' north and 99 ° 00 'to 99 ° 09' west. Xochimilco is bordered by the boroughs of Coyoacán and Iztapalapa in the north, Tláhuac in the east, Milpa Alta in the south and Tlalpan in the west. The administrative center of the municipality is located in the district "El Rosario" - a historical municipality of Xochimilco.

The northern part of Xochimilco forms a plain at the mean sea level of the Valley of Mexico , 2,240 meters. At this point, who was formerly Xochimilco Lake , whose remains today Känale the floating gardens form. At the south of the lake basin rise the peaks of Xochitepec, Tzompol, Tlacuallelli and Teuhtli, which form the natural border between the urban districts of Xochimilco, Milpa Alta and Tláhuac. These elevations are also part of the mountain range that prevents natural runoff from the Mexico Basin to the south. Among them, Xochitepec offers sweeping views of the urban areas of Tlalpan and Xochimilco. At the top of the Axocopiaxco volcano, the Xochimilcos area reaches an altitude of over 3000 meters.

Xochimilco is located in the Texcoco - Lake Zumpango sub-basin of the Moctezuma-Tula-Pánuco hydrological system. The originally endorheic basin was artificially opened in the 17th century. As a result, the lake shrank over time to its present size with the channels between the artificially created islands for agricultural use. At that time the lake was fed by tributaries, which sprang into the adjacent hill. These were channeled during the reign of Porfirio Díaz to supply Mexico City until it dried up in 1951. Since then, the canals have been fed with recycled wastewater from the Cerro de la Estrella plant. The most important canals include the Nacional , the de Chalco (both drain the Sierra Nevada ), the Cuemanco and the Apatlaco .

geology

The entire area of ​​Xochimilcos is part of the sub-province 57 "Lagos y Volcanes del Anáhuac" ("Lakes and Volcanoes of Anáhuac"), which belongs to the geological province "Eje Neovolcánico" ("New Volcanic Axis"). The surface is characterized by five topographical systems, with that of the stratovolcano predominating and making up 42% of the area of ​​Xochimilco. This system corresponds to the arrangement of the Xochitepec and Tzompol peaks, as well as the extensive slope of the Teuhtli volcano. Another 27% of the territory is classified as a volcanic plateau or badlands . This proportion corresponds to the foothills of the Tzompol volcano and the Tlacuallelli mountain in the central south of the Xochimilco territory. The rest of the area is divided into three types of plains : 18% comprises the lake district where the Xochimilco Lake was formerly located and which is now the Chinese amperie . Another 12% of the total area is classified as an alluvial plain on the coast of the lake and marks the transition between mountain and valley. A salt marsh on the border of Xochimilco to Tláhuac and Iztapalapa forms the remaining 1% and covers a little less than one square kilometer.

Most of the surface was created in the Quaternary . A little more than 87% of the surface of the city district can be attributed to this era. The original lake and alluvial soil make up 61% of the area. The soil types Phaeozem and Histosol occur primarily. The mountainous regions are formed from volcanic rocks such as basalt and tuff . Older parts arose in the Cenozoic , namely the middle and high ridge of the Teuhtli volcano and the plateau between the summit of Xochitepec and the Ajusco mountain range. This stored mainly on a andesite - substrate .

climate

The prevailing climate in Xochimilco is temperate with rainfall in summer corresponding to its location in the Valley of Mexico . These conditions can be found in 98% of the area. The intensity of the humidity varies, although medium humidity is mostly found. The highest zone of the city district has a cold tropical climate with summer rains.

Mean temperature in Xochimilco [° C]
month J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D. average
Muyuguarda 11.3 12.6 14.8 16.1 17.1 17.5 16.8 16.8 16.2 15.4 13.3 11.9 15th
Tlalnepantla 10.6 11.7 13.3 14.6 15.4 14.3 13.8 13.7 13.5 12.4 12.1 11.1 13
Atlapulco 11.8 14.2 16.0 18.4 18.9 18.5 17.8 17.7 17.2 15.7 14.1 12.6 16
month J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D. average
Total precipitation in Xochimilco [mm]
Muyuguarda 11.4 5.9 6.4 22.7 62.1 113.1 142.3 129.2 112.2 56.4 11.7 6.6 56.6
Tlalnepantla 13.26 6.22 15.0 33.21 73.6 168.8 182.8 188.51 174.9 74.2 11.9 6.0 79.03
Atlapulco 10.0 7.0 11.1 25.7 78.9 121.4 147.7 127.9 110.0 49.9 4.7 5.8 58.34

The floating gardens

Trajineras in the "floating gardens" of Xochimilco

The "floating gardens" are a popular destination for both residents and tourists. They consist of a network of artificially created canals with a total length of around 150 km and islands of planted rafts ( chinampas ) covered with sea mud , the roots of which now reach the bottom and thus reclaim land from it.

Nowadays the gardens are used for recreation, for tourist activities, but also again as agricultural cultivation area and thus according to their original purpose. The use of the fertile sludge made it one of the most effective forms of cultivation ever developed and enabled year-round harvests.

The place is also famous for its flower market and the colorful excursion boats ( trajineras ), which you can rent along with guides on site.

More Attractions

In the Museo Dolores Olmedo (district of La Noria), the largest private collection of works by the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is shown in a permanent exhibition alongside other works of art .

The Doll Island has been open to tourism since the mid-1990s . Thousands of partly mutilated dolls have been hung up in the trees of the island.

Web links

Commons : Xochimilco  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Xochimilco  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltGUIBusDPD?lema=Xochimilco#1
  2. ^ INEGI / SEDESOL: Datos Generales
  3. ↑ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/412
  4. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from August 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Geographical characteristics ( es ) Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved on July 1, 2012.
  6. ↑ Medellín Millán, 2003.
  7. ↑ INEGI, 2005 1.6.
  8. ^ Comisión Nacional del Agua : "Registro mensual de temperatura media", en Inegi, 2005: 1.6.
  9. ↑ a b Average values ​​of the meteorological station Muyuguarda (north of Xochimilco) between 1951 and 1985
  10. ↑ a b Average values ​​of the meteorological station San Francisco Tlalnepantla (south of Xochimilco) between 1967 and 2000.
  11. ↑ a b Average values ​​of the meteorological station San Gregorio Atlapulco (center of Xochimilco) between 1960 and 1990.
  12. ^ Comisión Nacional del Agua: "Registro mensual de precipitación pluvial en mm", en Ibegi, 2005: 1.7.

swell

  • National Institute for Statistics, Geography and Computer Science: Statistical District Handbook. Xochimilco. 2005 edition (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (2005): Cuaderno estadístico delegacional. Xochimilco. Edición 2005.) INEGI . Aguascalientes.
  • Medellín Millán, Pedro (2003): “Dos lagos en extinción y esfuerzos por salvarlos” (PDF; 121 kB), in the daily newspaper Pulso from San Luis Potosí , January 30, 2003