The trajineras
Bright colours and names.
Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wotancito — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ivo Kruusamägi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · ProtoplasmaKid — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ivo Kruusamägi — CC BY-SA 4.0
The last of the lakes and canals that covered the Valley of Mexico in Aztec times: some 170 kilometres of canals between artificial farming islands called chinampas, built by the inhabitants centuries ago from mud and reeds. The canals and islands are on UNESCO's list together with the city's Historic Centre. You travel the canals on a trajinera, a long wooden boat with a brightly painted roof and a decorated woman's name on its bow, pushed along by a boatman with a long pole. Around you, other boats sell grilled corn, flowers and drinks, and mariachi bands play for those who pay. At weekends the canals fill with families, music and celebration; early on weekday mornings they are quiet, with birds and fields on the islands. From the farther piers, eco-tours visit chinampa farms and a sanctuary for the rare axolotl. The price is per boat per hour, not per person, so gather a group, agree the time and price before boarding, and use the official piers. You can bring your own food and drink.
Bright colours and names.
Music on the water.
Ancient floating farms.
Nuevo Nativitas and other piers, Xochimilco, south Mexico City; about an hour from the centre
The official rate is 750 pesos per whole boat per hour, not per person, and it holds a large group. Agree the time before boarding and use the official piers.