Xochimilco

A network of canals and artificial garden islands — chinampas — on the southern edge of Mexico City, Xochimilco preserves the agricultural system that fed the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Brightly painted flat-bottomed trajinera boats carry passengers along the canals past flower farms, vegetable plots, and floating vendors. The area also contains the Isla de las Muñecas, a tree-hung with hundreds of weathered dolls by a former inhabitant, which has become a macabre photography destination.