During the late Aztec period (1325–1521), extensive irrigation networks with floodwater systems and canals were created, which enabled the construction of the chinampas. Their development was linked to high regional population density and the growth of sizable local urban communities.

That said, the surrounding land of the Valley of Mexico was infertile, and the Aztecs worked continuously on cultivating it and finding ways to increase their agricultural yield. For instance, they built irrigation systems, constructed terraces on nearby hillsides, and enriched the soil with fertilizer.

Aztec agriculture featured intensive cultivation of all available land, as well as elaborate systems of irrigation and reclamation of swampland through the use of raised fields known as chinampas (“floating gardens”). Rich soil from the bottom of a lake was piled up to form ridges between rows of ditches or canals.

The Aztecs did not invent chinampas but rather were the first to develop it to a large scale cultivation. Sometimes referred to as "floating gardens," chinampas are artificial islands that were created by interweaving reeds with stakes beneath the lake's surface, creating underwater fences.