Xochimilco Trajineras

The floating gardens of Xochimilco — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the surviving remnant of the Aztec chinampas lake system — are navigated by brightly painted flat-bottomed boats called trajineras carrying parties of Mexicans eating, drinking, and listening to mariachi bands hired from floating boats alongside. The experience on a Sunday afternoon when the canals are crowded with multigenerational family groups is one of the most joyous in Latin America.