The Aztec had settled in Atzlan when they found the eagle sitting on a cactus eating a snake. Most people think that the Aztec settled in a desert like area. But that is not the case at all. They settled in a swampy area which is now Mexico City. They couldn't farm on the grass, so they only had one choice. To farm on the water. The Aztec created "Chinampas" which were floating gardens. Canals were built for boats to pass through the "Venice of the Americas". It was called the "Venice of the Americas" because the Aztecs settled in a swamp land and the gardens were floating on water. The Chinampas were their food source and they would make tortillas using the crops they made through the Chinampas. The Aztecs made grain through the Chinampas. That is how they survived for all of those years.