What did they do?
Crops grew well in the fertile soil,but there was hardly any flat land for farming so forests were forced to cover the slopes of the valley.Aztec farmers also farmed on the lake,creating fields called chinampas(as shown in the picture on the left)also known as floating fields which didn't really float.The fields were actually made of land from the bottom of the lake arranged into rows with canals inbetween each row.The farmers hammered wooden stakes around the edge of the chinampas.The wooden stakes prevented the soil from washing away.After a couple of days,the stakes grew into willow trees which sheltered crops and livestock like turkeys.The trees' tangled roots helped to bind the chinampa together.On the chinampas,farmers grew pumpkins,peppers,chillies,tomatoes,avocadoes,beans,peanuts and maize.Maize also known as sweetcorn,was the Aztecs' most popular crop.They used maize in all their food including dumplings and thin pancakes called tortillas.