Wow what an incredible wrap up to the expedition! We started off at sunrise with an amazing breakfast (the tamales were so delicious) on the boat with a birding tour of the canals along the Chinampas. With the fantastic Martin Sanchez-Vilchis as our guide we were able to identify over 25 different species of water birds that live in the Xochimilco area.
Our group with Martin
Next was a tour of the REDES (Restauración Ecológica y Desarrollo) Chinampa with Francisco and Renato. The Chinampa uses only sustainable practices to grow a large number of different produce. It also has a dry toilet which is able to compost waste and use as a fertilizer for ornamental plants and on orchards after storing the waste for a 9 month period. This project is being implemented within the Chinampas to eliminate waste going into the waterways and crops.
The Chinampa dry toilet.
Renato then explained how crops are started, rotated and composting strategies used in the Chinampa.
After our tour we had the opportunity to participate in gardening by turning compost and pulling weeds!
After the tour we were treated to the most delectable lunch made by local Xochimilco women using fresh produce and cooked on an open fire. It was so delicious!
The amount of dishes was incredible
Next was a talk by Diego about the conservation of Axolotl and the importance of restoring the Chinampas and bringing back this critically endangered creature to this area. Due to the introduction of carp and tilapia the species quickly decreased in size and currently is at a critically endangered status. The hope is to block areas so that carp and tilapia cannot enter where the Axolotl are introduced. They are amazing in the fact that they can regenerate limbs and even organs and research is currently being done on their stem cells.
We had the opportunity to see them directly and got a surprise when one jumped out of the water. With Elsa’s super quick reactions it was recovered and returned to the canal.
Group photo taken at the Chinampa before we head out. We will all miss the sustainable work that is being done in this area, but plan to put what we learned into practice with our students on a variety of projects.
Returning back to civilization via boat gave us unbelievable views of the beauty of this area.
The Xochimilco boats.
As if this was not enough, we headed to the Delores Olmedo museum in the heart of Mexico City. The beautiful grounds and art collections were magnificent. She was a friend to Diego Rivera and Frida Kalua.
To wrap up the day we were treated to dinner at Centenari 107 and got to try crickets on guacamole! Wow what a remarkable experience with an astounding group of teachers, students, farmers, volunteers and scientists! Special thanks to Elsa and Erick for all your hard work and providing us with so many phenomenal opportunities.
From all the team – we will miss you all but learned so much! Muchas gracias por todo!
Conserving Wetlands and Traditional Agriculture in Mexico 