Imagine that you have hopped into a canoe to tour Tenochtitlán as it was in the early 1500s. First, you see the “gardens” on raised beds built on Lake Texcoco. The Aztec created these gardens by digging up mud from the bottom of the lake and piling it up in shallow areas. Then they shaped the piles into long narrow gardens. The gardens were surrounded by water, so they stayed moist. The Aztec also kept the soil fertile by scooping new mud onto the gardens every year. The rich soil was perfect for growing corn, squash, and beans.