When the Aztec empire was strongest, Aztec agriculture was much more complex than just growing a bunch of stalks of maize. The Aztec grew their crops in a different way. These farmers did it by using the "floating gardens" method.
The type of Aztec agriculture used in the heart of the empire were the Chinampa method. Chinampa is a method of farming that used small, rectangular areas to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Mexican valley. Chinampas were the artificial islands created for the crops. An area in the lake bed was chosen, and its size was usually about thirty by two and a half meters. Once the area was fenced off, the farmers layered it with mud, and decaying vegetation until it was above the level of the lake. A certain kind of tree called the willow tree was often planted in the corners to help secure the area. These islands were then provided rich soil for crops with easy access to water from the lake. The farmers used channels between the islands to get to each area by canoe. Each and every space was parallel to each other.