WEBVTT - Is Mexico City Really Sinking? 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:17.920 You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 0:00:18.040 --> 0:00:19.040 and iHeartRadio. 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:24.760 Guess what Mango? 0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:25.640 What's that gave? 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:28.880 So you know how the capital of Mexico is Mexico City. 0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:32.080 Yeah, I mean I've played a lot of carbon San 0:00:32.120 --> 0:00:33.760 Diego as a kid. All right. 0:00:33.840 --> 0:00:37.479 Well, the funny thing is that it wasn't technically true 0:00:37.720 --> 0:00:41.360 when you first learned it. How do you mean, Well, 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:44.920 until recently, the official name of Mexico's capital was the 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:49.720 Distrata Federal, the Federal District, or DF for short, and 0:00:49.720 --> 0:00:51.479 that was the name that was on the books for 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:54.480 nearly two hundred years, but it never caught on in 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:55.240 other countries. 0:00:55.720 --> 0:01:00.480 So Mexico City wasn't officially called Mexico City. That's so bizarre. 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:00.880 How come? 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:05.080 Well it's because most countries have their own federal districts, 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:07.640 so you know, it could get confusing if people don't 0:01:07.640 --> 0:01:10.520 know which one you're referring to. So instead, people just 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:13.920 kept calling the capital Mexico City, which was the district's 0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:17.200 original name. That's what it was called prior to Mexico 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:20.680 winning its independence from Spain way back in the eighteen twenties. 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:24.360 Oh, that's fascinating. So it was Mexico City, then it 0:01:24.440 --> 0:01:27.520 was in Mexico City, and now it's Mexico City again, 0:01:27.600 --> 0:01:28.720 Like why to change? 0:01:29.000 --> 0:01:31.440 All right? Well, so you know how in Washington, DC, 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:35.400 there's a movement to get representation in Congress. Sure, Well, 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:38.320 in Mexico City, there's been this ongoing effort for the 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:42.199 last forty years to help the district become more autonomous, 0:01:42.360 --> 0:01:47.200 and in twenty sixteen, then President Enrique pinonetto champion that 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:50.320 caused in a big way when he officially rebranded the 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:54.480 capital Mexico City. The restructuring from a district to a 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:57.640 city granted it new political rights, including the ability to 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:00.800 set its own budgets and even adopt its own constitution, 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:02.920 which it did in twenty seventeen. 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:06.160 So there's so much trivia, like global trivia that I loved, 0:02:06.200 --> 0:02:09.400 like that there was a part of Bangladesh that was 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:15.120 in India, that was in Bangladesh that was in India. Similarly, 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:18.640 the idea that Mexico City is not Mexico City. But 0:02:19.200 --> 0:02:21.600 I feel like that's a fact I would have dined 0:02:21.639 --> 0:02:23.200 out on for a very very long time. 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:26.320 Yeah, it's tough to keep straight, but in this case, 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:29.120 it's actually more than just trivia. And that's because one 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.320 of the most unique aspects of Mexico City is the 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:36.360 way it embraces both tradition and modernity. So on one hand, 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:39.399 adopting the old name of Mexico City is a nod 0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:42.080 to the region's past, but it's also a nod to 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:45.240 the future, like one where the city is hopefully less 0:02:45.240 --> 0:02:47.919 beholden to the federal government and has more of a 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:50.600 voice in how it's governed. But that's just one of 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:54.200 the many connections between the past and the present in 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:57.720 Mexico City. There's a lot more to explore in today's travelogue, 0:02:58.000 --> 0:02:58.840 so let's dive in. 0:03:19.880 --> 0:03:22.400 Hey, their podcast listeners, and welcome to Part Time Genius. 0:03:22.440 --> 0:03:25.320 I'm Mongish particular, and today I'm joined by my good 0:03:25.400 --> 0:03:30.560 friend and writer researcher extraordinary for this show, Gabe lucy A. 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:34.359 And on the other side of the soundproof glass downing 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:38.240 a bottle of coconut flavored electro lit that is our 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:42.960 friend and producer Dylan Fagan and watch him go. Apparently, 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:45.680 the drink is a summer staple in Mexico City because 0:03:45.680 --> 0:03:48.840 it's load with electrolytes to help you stay hydrated in 0:03:48.960 --> 0:03:49.600 the high heat. 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:54.800 Yeah, but our studios air conditions. So why is Dylan drinking? 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:57.600 I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact 0:03:57.640 --> 0:04:00.800 that he was doing all those guitar solos with shredding 0:04:00.800 --> 0:04:03.120 in there for hours and hours. When you're practicing to 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:05.240 leave it out all on the stage, you really need 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:05.800 to hydrate. 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:09.760 Yeah, I've heard Keith Richards was also big on hydration 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:14.160 for that same reason. So is this kind of like 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:18.840 Mexico's answer to Gatorade because this bottle looks way more medicinal. 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:22.760 Yeah, apparently electroly it tends to be less sugary, and 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:24.840 it's a little closer to what you'd find in an 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:28.040 actual IV drip. But just like Gatorade, the drink is 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:31.360 stocked at convenience stores and consumed by just about everyone, 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:36.200 not just athletes. It also predates Gatorade by about fifteen years, 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:39.960 having been invented in nineteen fifty, and this was in 0:04:39.960 --> 0:04:43.640 the midst of a cholera epidemic. The oral rehydration solution, 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:47.799 which is also known as suero in Mexico. It helped 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:51.400 save thousands of children's lives during this crisis, and ever 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:53.960 since it's been the drink of choice not just for 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:58.000 sick children, but for local athletes, hikers, or anyone else 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:00.520 who feels a little out of sorts in the there. 0:05:00.880 --> 0:05:03.240 But there's actually another reason why the drink is so 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:06.280 popular in Mexico City in particular, and that's because the 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:10.039 region's high altitude. It's sometimes easy to forget since we 0:05:10.160 --> 0:05:14.160 usually associate high altitudes with cold temperatures, but Mexico's capital 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:18.480 is actually twenty two hundred meters above sea level, or 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:21.560 nearly a mile and a half. So it's pretty common 0:05:21.560 --> 0:05:26.200 for visitors to feel lightheaded or tired shortly after their arrival. 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:29.240 But thankfully that can be easily fixed with a bottle 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:31.119 or two of electrolt. 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:32.680 All right, well, I just want to point out that 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:37.280 part time Genius is not sponsored by Electrolyte. 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:40.280 I mean, I just want to point out to the 0:05:40.400 --> 0:05:42.839 sponsors that we are open to it. 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:47.640 Yeah, okay, obviously, But now, okay, So I know you 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:51.520 mentioned the elevation, but Mexico City's geography is unusual in 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:54.560 lots of other ways too. For instance, another thing that's 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:57.440 easy to overlook is that the current city is built 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:00.520 on top of a dried up lake bed those seven 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:03.960 hundred years ago the Mashika, who later became known better 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:07.239 known as the Aztecs. They built the original Mexico city 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:10.039 on an island in Lake tex Coco, but after the 0:06:10.040 --> 0:06:13.120 Spanish invaded in the fifteen twenties, the lake was drained 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:14.720 to allow for greater expansion. 0:06:15.000 --> 0:06:17.640 You know, I've always loved that story that the Aztecs 0:06:17.720 --> 0:06:20.279 built their city on an island in the middle of 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:23.159 a lake. But do you actually know the rationale for that, 0:06:23.200 --> 0:06:25.800 because I feel like I've always heard that but never 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:27.159 knew why they chose to do that. 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:29.760 Yeah, it seems like a strange place to build a city, 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:32.240 but with the lake and the surrounding mountains, it was 0:06:32.279 --> 0:06:35.159 a pretty secure place to build a city. Plus it 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:38.360 had its own built in water supply. But according to legend, 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:41.000 the real reason why the Aztec settled there was the 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:44.560 fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. They were in their nomadic 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:47.880 phase in the early fourteenth century, wandering from one place 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:50.240 to the next, but they believed that their gods would 0:06:50.279 --> 0:06:53.400 eventually show them where to settle by sending a very 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:58.080 distinctive sign an eagle perched atop a cactus eating a snake, 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:01.200 and what do you know, it one day thirteen twenty five, 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:04.279 while passing by Lake tex Coco, they looked out to 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:07.120 a small island and saw exactly that. So with that 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:09.880 divine stamp of approval, the Aztec set out to build 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:14.240 an elaborate floating city, which they called Tenosh Teethlon, or 0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:16.880 Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus. 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:20.720 It's funny because I hadn't associated the two with one another, 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:23.840 but like that image of a golden eagle standing on 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:26.720 a cactus chomping on a snake, that's actually the image 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:28.280 on Mexico's flag. 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:31.880 Right, yeah, exactly. It became a foundational symbol pretty much 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:34.920 for the entire country, with the eagle representing the spirit 0:07:35.000 --> 0:07:39.040 of the Mexican people, and Tanosh Teethlan itself was, you know, 0:07:39.080 --> 0:07:42.360 pretty incredible. The city was built across a series of 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:46.160 natural and artificial islands, the ladder of which were created 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:49.480 using soil dredged from the lake bottom, and the city 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:52.840 was laid out in a symmetrical grid, with four sectors 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:55.800 surrounding a central area, which is where all the temples 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:59.200 and palaces were located. But most impressively, the different sectors 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:03.440 were connected to each other by four causeways or elevated roads, 0:08:03.640 --> 0:08:06.920 which also acted as barriers to separate the lake's brackish 0:08:06.960 --> 0:08:10.560 saltwater from its fresh water, so residents could also get 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:14.000 around the city by boat thanks to this elaborate system 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:16.920 of canals, a feature for which the Spanish would later 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:20.680 dub tanosh Titlan the Venice of the New World. So 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:24.080 for the next two hundred years, the Aztecs thrived in 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:27.760 this floating capital. They conquered other tribes throughout the region, 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:31.360 and eventually they became the largest and most populous city 0:08:31.440 --> 0:08:35.480 in pre Columbian America, covering more than five square miles 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:38.800 and boasting upwards of two hundred thousand citizens. 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:41.880 You think about this then, like the symmetry of the 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:45.560 structures here, the fact that they built islands, It just 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:49.360 sounds so impressive. They built up this real civilization. And 0:08:49.840 --> 0:08:51.360 then the Spanish cam right. 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:56.400 Yeah, Spanish explorer Hernand Cortes showed up in fifteen nineteen 0:08:56.559 --> 0:08:59.920 and he immediately set his eyes on the Aztec sophisticated 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:03.200 city and all the treasure that he assumed was stored 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:06.120 inside of it. He spent the next two years securing 0:09:06.160 --> 0:09:08.520 the support of local tribes who were you know, itching 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:12.080 to overthrow the Aztecs, and then in fifteen twenty one, 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:15.000 he and his troops laid siege to tein O Schtiethln. 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:18.360 The battle lasted for ninety three days and a large 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.240 portion of the city was destroyed in the fighting. So 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:24.880 once the Aztec surrendered, the Spanish looted and burned most 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:27.960 of what remained. Then they drained the surrounding lake and 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:31.680 built Spain's new colonial center right on top of the ruins, 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:34.760 creating what we know today as Mexico City. 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:36.400 You know, it's one of those things that, like, it 0:09:36.400 --> 0:09:39.560 always astounds me that the conquistadors just like came in 0:09:39.640 --> 0:09:43.640 as one culture, wiping out another culture just to take 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:44.680 what they wanted. 0:09:44.400 --> 0:09:47.439 Right, Yeah, it's a shame. And you know, the detail 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:49.720 that really gets to me is that the Spanish used 0:09:49.760 --> 0:09:52.720 many of the same stones from Tano Schteethlan in the 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:56.040 construction of their new city. So, for instance, one of 0:09:56.120 --> 0:09:59.600 the most famous buildings in the Zocallo that's Mexico City's 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:03.440 main PubL book square is the Metropolitan Cathedral. It's the 0:10:03.559 --> 0:10:07.000 largest cathedral in Latin America and it was built directly 0:10:07.080 --> 0:10:10.720 on top of the Templo Mayor, the Sacred Temple complex 0:10:10.720 --> 0:10:13.280 at the heart of the Aztec capital. It's such a 0:10:13.360 --> 0:10:17.400 stark physical symbol of one culture, just kind of railroading 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:20.920 and building over another. Like there's no subtext here, it 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:22.000 is all text. 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:25.560 There's actually an interesting PostScript to this that might make 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:29.080 you feel a bit better. So the Metropolitan Cathedral is 0:10:29.240 --> 0:10:33.520 a very very big building, as you said, and since 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:37.160 it's made of stone, it's also incredibly heavy, and it 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:40.160 is so heavy, in fact, that it's actually sinking into 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:43.280 the ground, with its south wing now almost a full 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:46.000 meter lower than the rest of it. This development wasn't 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:49.559 surprising in itself, because all of Mexico City is sinking 0:10:49.679 --> 0:10:52.880 by as much as fifteen inches per year because it's 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:56.559 built on a lake bed right exactly. But the cathedral 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:59.280 slow descent turned out to be a special case because 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:02.840 the lower got, the more visible the ancient structures beneath 0:11:02.880 --> 0:11:06.640 it became. And what's amazing is that, like archaeologists hadn't 0:11:06.679 --> 0:11:10.480 been able to pinpoint the temple's exact location, but in 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:14.320 the nineteen seventies they started finding engraved stone discs and 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:18.960 other artifacts around the cathedral sinking base, and these discoveries 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:22.520 led to extensive excavation, and now the remains of this 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:26.440 temple Mayora are actually on full display for visitors. There's 0:11:26.480 --> 0:11:28.680 even a museum next door that spotlights many of the 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:29.720 relics unearthed there. 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:31.679 It really just goes to show you can't keep a 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:38.880 good temple down. My mom always said that, Yeah. It 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:42.280 is amazing though, that the European conquerors they tried to 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:45.160 bury the region's past, but it literally rose to the 0:11:45.200 --> 0:11:47.520 surface in this case, and now it sounds like the 0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:50.640 city's kind of safeguarding it for the future. It actually 0:11:50.640 --> 0:11:52.880 reminds me of this quote. I came across on a 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:57.360 site called Escaping Worlds. So this reporter, Lisy, she spoke 0:11:57.400 --> 0:11:59.880 to a bunch of Mexico City natives to get, you know, 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:02.959 local perspective on the culture. And one of the people 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:05.800 she talked to was this middle aged mechanic named Pedro. 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:08.320 He tied the city's pass to the president in a 0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:11.959 really lovely way, so I wanted to share it, he said. 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:15.640 Quote as tech legend says, Cortes burned the feet of 0:12:15.679 --> 0:12:18.520 our last as tech emperor because he was looking for 0:12:18.559 --> 0:12:21.880 his treasure. He would ask where is the treasure? And 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:25.560 the emperor said, admire my treasure. It is before your eyes. 0:12:26.240 --> 0:12:29.080 He never understood that the Mexican treasure is the people, 0:12:29.400 --> 0:12:32.040 the town. Get to know the people and the country. 0:12:32.120 --> 0:12:34.920 Don't base your thoughts of Mexico on what the news says. 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:38.239 We are more than bad news, tacos and beer. 0:12:39.920 --> 0:12:43.440 Although I do love tacos, and I feel like that's 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:46.520 a lot more insightful than I think my mechanic has 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:48.079 ever told me. Who just tells me I need to 0:12:48.200 --> 0:12:49.520 rotate my tires more? 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:54.120 Well, I mean I've heard that's important too. But before 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:57.280 before we start the next leg of our tour, why 0:12:57.320 --> 0:13:08.960 don't we take a quick break. 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:13.400 You're listening to part Time Genius, and we're talking all 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:17.720 about the many links between ancient Aztec civilization and modern 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:21.160 Mexico City today. So, Gabe, we just spent a little 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:24.320 time on Zacalo, which of course is a must for 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:27.760 anyone who visits the Mexican capital, but now want to 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:31.800 head south to a neighborhood called Hochi Milco, or as 0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:34.679 it's known in English, the Land of Flowers. It is 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:36.920 a very special part of the city because it's home 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:40.480 to the original Aztec cities last remaining waterways. 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:43.800 Oh no way. I thought the Spanish strained the city's 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:44.760 lake when they took it over. 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:49.160 Yeah, but apparently like a handful of lagoons remained in 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:52.560 the Mexico City basin, and the ones here are especially 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:56.160 notable because they were and still are a vital source 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:59.160 of food for the city. You know, you mentioned earlier 0:13:59.240 --> 0:14:02.640 that the Aztec extended the city's area by creating all 0:14:02.679 --> 0:14:06.640 these man made islands that were just above the water line. Well, 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:11.280 those basically functioned as floating gardens, and farmers built rafts 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:14.439 out of reeds, covered them in mud, and cultivated fruit 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:17.600 and vegetables right there on the water. And as time 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:19.960 went on, the rafts gradually rooted to the bottom of 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:21.680 the lake and became islands. 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:24.680 That's incredible. These guys are so ahead of their time. 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:28.000 But you said these gardens are still in use today. 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:31.560 Yeah, so some of them are. Chinampas, as the islands 0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:33.800 are called, were a main source of food for the 0:14:33.840 --> 0:14:37.840 city prior to the twentieth century, but rapid urbanization it 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:40.880 obviously took a heavy toll on the practice. That said, 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:45.840 Chinampa farming has been making this steady comeback in recent decades, 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:49.720 and as many of these sort of like homegrown practices did. 0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:52.960 It actually got quite a boost from COVID nineteen and 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:56.520 the pandemic when the industrial food supply was disrupted, and 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:59.440 that whole chain was sort of like picked apart local 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:03.320 farmers and rehabilitating chinampas to feed their city. And the 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:06.360 project proved so successful that it's continued ever since, with 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:09.200 more chinampas being restored every year. 0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:12.000 I'm kind of surprised they were able to grow enough 0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:14.760 food to make a difference like that, because I pulled 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.800 up a picture here and these aren't very big islands. 0:15:17.840 --> 0:15:20.360 It's like maybe an acre or two tops. 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:22.800 Don't let their size fool you, because according to our 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:25.600 friends at Atlas Obscura, chinampas are actually one of the 0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:29.120 most productive forms of agriculture in the world. They produce 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:31.840 as many a seven harvest per year, which this is 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:36.480 astounding to me. And because of the rich lake soil 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:38.960 and warm climate, they can grow just about anything, so 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:42.280 you can have greens, herbs, flowers, fruits, you name it, 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:44.760 which is how the Aztecs were able to sustain two 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:47.320 hundred thousand people in such a small space. 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:50.520 Yeah, that explains it. I mean seven harvests a year 0:15:50.760 --> 0:15:51.920 is really quite a lot. 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:53.160 That's crazy. 0:15:54.040 --> 0:15:56.880 I am curious though, are the Chinampas off limits to 0:15:56.920 --> 0:15:59.640 everyone but farmers or is this something that's you know, 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:00.520 opened to the public. 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:05.560 I love that idea that like I would tease you 0:16:05.600 --> 0:16:07.800 about going there and then like you would actually show 0:16:07.840 --> 0:16:08.880 up and couldn't visit. 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:11.440 Travel destination you can't visit. 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:15.560 I mean, we probably should do an episode on just 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:19.440 travel destinations you can't visit. But uh, you should absolutely 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:22.080 check this one out. There's about one hundred miles of 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:25.560 murky canals weaving through the Chinampas there, and visitors are 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:29.480 welcome to explore them aboard these colorful flat bottomed boats 0:16:29.640 --> 0:16:32.960 they're called trahinneras, and you can do that or you 0:16:32.960 --> 0:16:36.800 can actually take a guided kayak tour. You should keep 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:40.640 in mind that the trahinias provide more of a party atmosphere, 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:43.520 so they can cloud and crowded, and they tend to 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:46.280 like bump into each other a lot. So if you're 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:50.080 looking for a more relaxed, informative visit, maybe the kayak 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:53.920 tours more your speed. Uh. The kayak tours also provide 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:56.600 a great chance to see the wildlife up close in 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:59.800 this region, including more than two hundred species of birds, 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:03.000 as well as the elusive axe lottel. 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:07.159 Oh okay, you've piqued my interest. I love those weird 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.480 looking salamanders. They've got those feathery gills on the side 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:10.920 of their heads. 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:14.359 I know, they are so cute and so weird and 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:17.359 just so great. You know. And while most of the 0:17:17.400 --> 0:17:21.480 axe lottles actually alive today were bread and captivity, either 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:25.919 as pets or as research subjects. That's actually what makes 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:28.960 Mexico City so special in this regard. They are the 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:32.600 last wild population of Acx lottls in the world. And 0:17:32.720 --> 0:17:35.199 these foot long amphibians, I actually didn't realize they were 0:17:35.240 --> 0:17:38.160 foot long, like I thought they were tinier. They used 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.520 to thrive in the lakes surrounding Mexico City, but thanks 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:45.400 to habitat loss and water pollution, they now exist solely 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:46.720 in these canals. Wow. 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:49.080 Yeah, I had no idea they could get that big either, 0:17:49.320 --> 0:17:51.879 And I also didn't know that Mexico City was the 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:54.600 best place to find them. Do we know how many 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:56.160 of these little critters are left out there? 0:17:56.560 --> 0:17:59.879 So the current estimate is between fifty and one thousand, 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:03.679 which is few enough to qualify the species as critically endangered, 0:18:03.800 --> 0:18:06.320 but it is so hard to get an exact count 0:18:06.600 --> 0:18:10.320 because these little guys aren't easy to spot in this 0:18:10.480 --> 0:18:14.880 like murky water. And that's partially because there's another difference 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:18.720 between the axe lottles that are bred, which are pink 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:23.560 and white in color due to a genetic mutation, but 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:27.159 these wild axe lottles, they're basically brown or gray, so 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:28.800 they kind of blend in with the water. 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:31.600 But they're amphibians, right, So why can't we just you know, 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:33.320 count them when they come onto the land. 0:18:33.480 --> 0:18:35.400 Yeah, that's something I was wondering too. But it turns 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:37.600 out that axe lottels do this strange thing where they 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:42.040 retain their juvenile characteristics into adulthood. So that's why their 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:44.480 like eyes and limbs look too small for their bodies. 0:18:44.640 --> 0:18:47.639 And they've got that fin thing that runs down the 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:48.679 length of their whole body. 0:18:49.160 --> 0:18:52.320 Yeah, and that external guill, that feathery thing that you mentioned. 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:55.800 Most amphibians lose those by the time they reach adulthood, 0:18:55.840 --> 0:18:59.160 but axe lottles keep theirs, and they actually stay aquatic 0:18:59.240 --> 0:19:02.880 for life. They do have functional lungs, so they could 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:04.879 go on land. It's not off limits to them, but 0:19:05.240 --> 0:19:06.879 they just prefer life in the water. 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:10.000 Well fair enough. I mean, I love how bas are 0:19:10.040 --> 0:19:14.199 they are. It's really quite endearing. But it makes you wonder, like, 0:19:14.280 --> 0:19:17.760 what did the Aztecs think of these little weirdos swimming 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:20.640 all over their city? 0:19:20.680 --> 0:19:22.680 They must have been aware of them, yeah, I mean, 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:25.840 they definitely were. The word axe lottle comes from the 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:29.560 name for the Aztec god of fire and lightning, So 0:19:30.119 --> 0:19:32.200 I mean, I guess they have a pretty high opinion 0:19:32.200 --> 0:19:34.639 of these creatures, or at least thought there was, you know, 0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:37.359 something cool about them or unusual about them, which of 0:19:37.400 --> 0:19:38.399 course there is. You know. 0:19:38.480 --> 0:19:40.520 It is sad to think, though, that the species could 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:43.160 disappear from Mexico after all this time. 0:19:43.560 --> 0:19:46.080 So there is a little bit of promising news on 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:48.320 their front. Over the last few years, researchers have been 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:53.800 working closely with Chinampa farmers or chinamperos to create dozens 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:58.800 of axe lottle sanctuaries among the floating gardens. They've installed 0:19:58.840 --> 0:20:02.160 these bamboo cates along the shores to protect the creatures 0:20:02.160 --> 0:20:05.960 from invasive species. These are things like carp or tilapia, 0:20:06.160 --> 0:20:09.919 and they've also started relocating some of the ax lottels 0:20:09.920 --> 0:20:13.119 from the main canal systems to a series of interconnected 0:20:13.160 --> 0:20:17.359 ditches in the middle of certain shinapas. Of course, there 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:19.680 are also a couple of places to see axe lottls 0:20:19.720 --> 0:20:23.120 outside of the canals. The Chapultepec Zoo has a special 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:26.320 section devoted to the Mexican amphibians, and there's another museum 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:30.520 in Preserve located in Park Tarango, which is an eco park. 0:20:30.880 --> 0:20:33.240 I love that. Lots of options to see these guys. 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:35.879 And you know, we've talked a little bit about exploring 0:20:35.920 --> 0:20:39.320 Mexico by boat, but there's a super strange and important 0:20:39.359 --> 0:20:42.879 rule about driving in Mexico City that every visitor should 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:45.040 know ahead of time, and I want to tell you 0:20:45.080 --> 0:20:46.920 all about it right after this break. 0:20:47.040 --> 0:20:59.879 Can't wait. 0:21:02.440 --> 0:21:05.880 Welcome back to part time genius. Okay, Mango. So, one 0:21:05.880 --> 0:21:08.960 thing that might surprise first time visitors to Mexico City 0:21:09.240 --> 0:21:12.560 is the sheer size of the place. The metropolitan area 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:15.960 spans five hundred and thirty seven square miles and is 0:21:16.000 --> 0:21:19.360 home to just under twenty three million people. That's over 0:21:19.400 --> 0:21:22.280 one hundred square miles more than New York City and 0:21:22.359 --> 0:21:24.520 nearly three times the population. 0:21:24.920 --> 0:21:27.720 That is so many people to cram into a lake 0:21:27.760 --> 0:21:32.560 bed it I know in one place where you'll really 0:21:32.600 --> 0:21:36.040 feel the pinch is on the city's crowded highways. There 0:21:36.040 --> 0:21:39.399 are about five million vehicles registered in Mexico City and 0:21:39.640 --> 0:21:42.080 just as many more in the surrounding state of Estado 0:21:42.119 --> 0:21:46.000 de Mexico, and as you'd expect, the resulting gridlock is 0:21:46.160 --> 0:21:50.440 pretty unbearable, with the average resident spending roughly two hundred 0:21:50.480 --> 0:21:54.920 and twenty seven hours stuck in traffic each year. That 0:21:55.200 --> 0:21:59.440 is insane. You know, I have lived in Atlanta, which 0:21:59.440 --> 0:22:03.000 has a traffic issue. I've lived in New York, I've 0:22:03.320 --> 0:22:07.480 lived in Bombay, which also has insane traffic. But spending 0:22:07.560 --> 0:22:10.200 two hundred and twenty seven hours stuck in traffic each year, 0:22:10.280 --> 0:22:12.720 that's like ten full days in traffic. How do people 0:22:12.760 --> 0:22:14.159