Xochimilco, Mexico
Xochimilco is best known for its canals, which are left from what was an extensive lake and canal system that connected most of the settlements of the Valley of Mexico. These canals, along with artificial islands called chinampas, attract tourists and other city residents to ride on colorful gondola-like boats called “trajineras” around the 170 km of canals. This canal and chinampa system, as a vestige of the area’s pre-Hispanic past, has made Xochimilco a World Heritage Site. In 1950,
Paramahansa Yogananda in his celebrated classic
Autobiography of a Yogi wrote that if there is a scenic beauty contest, Xochimilco will get the First Prize.