Cuicuilco

Cuicuilco is an archaeological site Précolombien located in the south of the federal district of Mexico City, in the south of the ecological reserve of Pedregal. The principal pyramid has as coordinates.

It was the first city to be installed on banks of the Lac Texcoco and was also, during II, the most important city of the Vallée of Mexico City. The word can mean in Nahuatl “place of the songs and the dance” or “place of the songs and the colors”

History

Vestiges of several villages make think that a first community practitioner the Agriculture settled in the area around 1200 av. J-C. Cuicuilco develops little by little, in particular under the influence of the Olmèque S, and the first circular platforms appear between.

Between 800 and 600 av. J. - C., the city becomes the point of meeting of the valley and an important religious center if one judges the size of the monuments of it. Indeed, it is during this time that is built a large circular basic pyramid approximately 100 m in diameter and 20 m height (which is restored today and that one can visit).

Between, it forms an important company of approximately 20.000 inhabitants, very advanced and hierarchical, and develops a ceramics particular and different from the other cultures mésoamérindiennes.

It is the apogee of this culture, because starting from the Années -100 begins a strong activity of the volcano Xitle located in the vicinity. Moreover, the city of Teotihuacan is in full rise and starts to become an important religious center.

The city, which undergoes several volcanic eruptions, is finally abandoned with the profit of Teotihuacan which will be incorporated of all this culture. It will be finally completely destroyed and covered with lava in the neighborhoods of the 4th century.

Current location

The site is found immersed in the principal economic and industrial center of Mexico: Mexico City. This put Cuicuilco in a difficult situation. On a side economic interests and modern planning and other side, conservation and the legislation of the archaeological inheritance of the Mexican Republic.

Cuicuilco is divided into two zones. The first, known as Cuicuilco has , is in the ceremonial center. The other, called Cuicuilco B , is in the west of Cuicuilco has in the sporting center of the Olympic city.

Its importance is recognized by many historians and archeologists, but he was studied much less than of other sites like Teotihuacan or Tula. Indeed, all the zone is covered with lava which complicates work of excavation. The additional difficulty is the presence of modern buildings built with same the site. Indeed, still located at the variation of the city at the beginning of the 20th century, it underwent the massive urbanization of Mexico City and is part from now on of an protected area.

See too

External bonds

National institute of anthropology and history of Mexico
Photograph gallery

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