Mexico’s Regenerative Vision

At the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Mexico’s Pavilion presents "Chinampa Veneta" from May 10 to November 23, 2025, at the historic Arsenale in Venice. A thought-provoking installation that brings ancient agricultural wisdom into dialogue with contemporary ecological crises. Selected by Mexico’s Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature, the project proposes a radical reimagining of how architecture, agriculture, and ecology might coexist.

Collage of the Chinampa Veneta, 2025, Collage over an image of
Teatro del Mondo from Aldo Rossi, © Chinampa Veneta

Rooted in the millennia-old "chinampa" system of Xochimilco, just south of Mexico City, the installation highlights one of Mesoamerica’s most enduring and ecologically sound farming techniques. Chinampas are man-made agricultural islands created in shallow lakes using layers of sediment, mud, and plant matter. Their grid-like geometry not only fosters food production but also regenerates biodiversity by providing rich ecological niches. These floating gardens function as living systems: purifying water, sequestering carbon, producing food and oxygen, and reflecting a worldview that sees humans as part of—rather than apart from—natural cycles.

Gran Tenochtitlan in 1519, Luis Covarrubias, Oil on canvas, 1964,
Museo Nacional de Antropología and Aerial view of the Venetian
lagoon, digital image, 365_visuals/Shutterstock.com, © Chinampa
Veneta

Contrasting with modern approaches that aim to dominate nature, chinampas exemplify symbiosis and resilience. In Xochimilco, as in Venice—both UNESCO World Heritage Sites—rapid urbanization has placed ecosystems under threat. Chinampa Veneta addresses this shared fragility by transplanting the philosophy and structure of chinampas into the Venetian context, inviting reflection on the future of living cities in harmony with water and land.

Xochimilco, 2025, © Uta Gleiser

Arsenale, La Biennale di Venezia, 2025, © Matteo Losurdo

The project unfolds through multiple enactments. Inside Venice’s Arsenale, visitors encounter a series of chinampas at various stages of growth. Central to this display is a living chinampa that fuses Mesoamerican and Veneto agricultural traditions. Here, the ancient "milpa" polyculture system—featuring maize, beans, and squash—coexists with "la vite maritata", a regional technique where grapevines grow interlaced with trees. This hybrid model demonstrates not just cross-cultural collaboration but the adaptability of regenerative methods across time and geography.

Collage of the Chinampa Veneta, 2025, Collage over an image of
Teatro del Mondo from Aldo Rossi, © Chinampa Veneta

Outside, floating in the Venetian Lagoon, another component of the project pays homage to Aldo Rossi’s iconic "Teatro del Mondo". Reimagined as the "Chinampa del Mondo", this structure symbolically bridges architecture and imagination, land and water, Mexico and Italy. It reflects the political and ecological struggles both cities face in securing clean water and sustainable land use.

By transplanting a living agricultural practice into the context of an art and architecture biennale, Chinampa Veneta challenges conventional definitions of design. It argues for a paradigm shift—one that integrates natural cycles, values ancestral knowledge, and recognizes soil as the foundation of societal well-being. The installation encourages viewers to move away from extractive development and toward architectural practices that regenerate rather than deplete.