When Cortez came to
Mexico, the capital of the Aztecs was like Venice, a city in the
middle of a shallow lake, with canals instead of streets, houses and
gardens between them. There is no lake any more, most of the city
stands on (more or less) solid ground. The only exception is
Xochimilco, the last part of the city with canals instead of streets.
The area is famous for
its nice atmosphere and as a result it is a favoured excursion place
for Mexicans. Mexico City being the biggest agglomeration in the
world, there is always plenty of people wanting to have a nice time
on the canals. This being so, there is always plenty of people trying
to make some money by making sure for money, of course) that the time
spent on the canal is nice indeed. So there are plenty of boatmen
ready to offer their services and take you to the canals and while
you are there there are plenty of boats selling food or flowers grown
in the canal-side gardens, or boats with a band playing this kind of
music or another kind of music. In fact the canals of Xochimilco are
in a state of permanent fiesta.
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