Lago de los Reyes, Lake and park in Tláhuac, Mexico
Lago de los Reyes is a lake in Tláhuac, one of the southernmost boroughs of Mexico City, surrounded by canals, traditional chinampa fields, and tall ahuejote trees. The water is accessible from several points and is used for both farming and recreation.
This lake is one of the last remnants of the ancient lake system that once supported Aztec settlements in the Valley of Mexico. After the Spanish conquest, the use of these waters changed greatly, though chinampa farming has continued to the present day.
Farmers grow vegetables and herbs on chinampas, narrow plots of land surrounded by canals that have been worked for centuries. These plots are a visible part of daily life around the water in Tláhuac, giving the place a distinctly rural feel despite being within the city.
Visitors can rent trajineras, traditional wooden boats that fit several people, to move across the water at a slow pace. Going early in the morning or late in the afternoon gives a better chance of seeing farming activity on the chinampas nearby.
From the water, visitors can spot herons, pelicans, and wild ducks, and on clear days the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl rise in the background. This combination of farmland, open water, and snow-capped peaks within a major city is something few people expect to find here.
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