Location: 40 km (25 mi) Southwest of Cuernavaca, Morelos Map
Open: daily
Xochicalco is an archaeological site that is located between the
limits of the municipalities of Miacatlan and Temixco in the state of
Morelos, Mexico, 38 km southwest of the city of Cuernavaca. It was
declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.
The apogee of
Xochicalco takes place in the so-called Epiclassic period (650 - 900).
During this period most of the monumental architecture visible today was
built; its development and emergence should be understood from its
relationship with Teotihuacán, the dominant settlement in Mesoamerica
throughout the classic period.
According to some researchers,
Xochicalco emerged after the abandonment of Teotihuacán to fill the
economic and political power vacuum caused by that fact. In fact, this
center had its heyday between the years 650 and 900 after Christ, right
between the fall of Teotihuacán and the rise of Tula.
This archaeological ruin, is located in the valley of
Morelos, reached its maximum splendor as a result of the weakening of
Teotihuacan. It is considered the cradle of the cult and deification of
the God Quetzalcoatl, of great importance for later cultures, such as
the Toltec and the Mexica. The city was built on the top of several
hills, modified by moats and artificial terraces. The rugged topography
of its elevations allowed the construction of a fortified city, guarded
by watchmen and with a large Citadel with pyramidal foundations, palaces
and ball games.
The growth of Xochicalco was due to its strategic
location, which allowed it to establish exchanges with the regions of
Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, the Mayan area and the Gulf and Pacific
coasts.
The architectural iconography with war themes, astronomy
and the refined material culture, which includes complex cosmogonic
messages, such as the reliefs of the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent,
made this center a reference of the Mesoamerican cultural synthesis and
the emergence of militaristic cities.
Development time. Its
development was consolidated during the Epiclassic (650-900 AD) and was
abandoned around 1100 due to internal rebellions.
Xochicalco, a Nahuatl word meaning "in the place of
the house of flowers”, is an urban center of Mesoamerica carefully laid
out and built on a series of artificial terraces on a group of hills
(such as La Bodega, La Malinche and Xochicalco) whose location coupled
with the construction of moats, walls and other defensive elements would
contain possible attacks.
Due to its geographical location,
Xochicalco enjoys worldwide fame and is very visited, especially at the
beginning of summer, when the sun's rays penetrate perpendicularly and
illuminate the caves in a particular way, creating a mysterious
atmosphere.
Xochicalco was the city that dominated the west of
Morelos following the abandonment of Teotihuacán. The main temple has
ornaments with reliefs referring to the cult of Quetzalcoatl (the
feathered serpent). The hieroglyphs that we managed to observe were
those that represented the relationship with Oaxaca, Veracruz and a
large part of the Mayan area.
The archaeological site of Xochicalco was originally
built on three limestone hills. The Xochicalcas carefully planned the
structure of the buildings, as the hills were modified through various
processes, such as rock extraction, coating and decoration, among
others. All of the above, with the purpose of creating the esplanades,
on which the buildings, driveways and stairs were established that
allowed access between the terraces, roofs and drainage.
What
stands out most about the structure is its defensive character, because
there are moats on the perimeter of the lower part of the hill, in
addition to high and flat walls that cover the terraces, which prevented
them from being climbed. As for the interior, you can still see
fortifications that were used to guard the entrance, as well as walls,
porches and stairs to restrict movement.
On the summit of the
hill there are religious and administrative buildings that connect with
each other. The Acropolis, the central administrative precinct of
Xochicalco, served as the ruler's palace. To the east of the Acropolis
you can see the Ceremonial Plaza, where the Pyramid of the Feathered
Snakes known as Quetzalcoatl is located, as well as other religious
temples. The Great Pyramid of Xochicalco is located in the Main square,
where they gathered to witness public ceremonies.
Among the
housing complexes, on the one hand there are the "palaces", where the
ruling nobility resided, located to the north of the Main Square. On the
other hand, on the lower floors, the rooms were built with more humble
qualities, mainly in the size and quality of the materials.
Other
buildings that stand out are the three ball game courts, which respond
to different architectural plans, since they were used for different
purposes: from rituals in worship to drought-rain, to those associated
with day and night. These courts are located, respectively, in the
Northern, Eastern and Southern parts of the Area.
On the west
side is the observatory, which was designed and drilled into the rock,
with the purpose of signaling both the summer solstice, and the movement
of the Sun.
It is speculated that Xochicalco must have had a
community of artists from other parts of Mesoamerica.
Of
particular interest are the sculpted reliefs on the sides of some
buildings. The temple of the Feathered Serpent has fine and stylized
representations of the deity, in a style that includes an apparent
Teotihuacan and Mayan influence.
The main attraction of the
archaeological site is the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent. Also, there
is a remarkable observatory inside a cave with carved steps towards the
interior, where at the Equinox the solar rays illuminate it creating an
extremely bright beam of light. Out of this day and the zenith hour; the
ray of light that has a focus point of approximately fifty centimeters
of floor, if the observer decreases the distance of the focus point of
the shadow by moving closer, for example the hand to the ground, an
optical phenomenon is created that diffuses the beam sideways creating
on the ground a diffuse shadow with more light to the center of the
object giving the radiopaque appearance of the bones of the fingers and
arms as if it were an X-ray, this being only an optical illusion.
The other monuments on the site are: the pyramidal temples, palaces,
three ballgames, temazcales, an unusual row of circular altars. There
are also some stelae sculpted with the names and scenes of three kings
of Xochicalco. Some stelae have been removed from their original places,
and are now on display at the National Museum of Anthropology and
History in Mexico City or at the site museum.
Central Square. It
was possibly the most important civic-religious space in the city. In
the center of the square there is an adoratory that contained a stela
with two glyphs, on the sides the East and West buildings, and in the
background the Great Pyramid, which is the largest construction of the
site.
I hurt her. In this area is located the South Ball Game,
the largest of the three that are known on the site, as well as twenty
round altars and one square that perhaps were used for the calculation
of the ritual calendar of 260 days, and a set of rooms known as The
Palace, which was perhaps occupied by a group of nobles.
Main
Square. With a basically political and ceremonial character, this space
had extremely restricted access. Inside there are the most important
structures of the site, such as the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, a
building of extraordinary beauty and enormous significance, decorated
with reliefs on its four sides; the Temple of the Stelae, where the
three stelae related to Quetzalcoatl were discovered and which are
currently exhibited in the National Museum of Anthropology, and the
Acropolis, residence of the main lords of the city, which is located in
the highest part of the site.
This Set. In it we find the East
Ballgame, the Ramp of the Animals, composed of 255 slabs with
representations of animals, and the Central Set, an area where a
polychrome altar is located, a temazcal or steam bath and a cistern to
store rainwater, which was distributed to the entire set, through an
elaborate drainage system.
West Set. Composed of structures
located above the cave of the Observatory, which was used for
astronomical exploration.
The large number of caves that are found on the slopes of the
hill, are not natural, were excavated by the Xochicalcas to obtain
materials for construction; many of them were conditioned to be used
for different purposes, such is the case of the cave where the
Observatory is located, where the movement of the sun was studied.
It presents inside a corridor and a large chamber with a fireplace
measuring from the base to the surface 8.7 meters, whose draft mouth
is hexagonal; this shot has a slight inclination so that the rays
penetrate and the hexagon projected on the floor of the cave is
visible, it was also covered with stucco and painted in black,
yellow and red colors.
In the period of 105 days, which runs
from April 30 to August 15, the sun penetrates through the mouth of
the chimney. In the movement of the sun towards the Tropic of Cancer
and on its return, respectively on May 14/15 and July 28/29, the
star is at its zenith and at astronomical noon: the beam of light
falls directly through the tube projecting the image of the sun on
the floor of the underground. Probably taking advantage of the solar
phenomenon, the place was also used for religious ceremonies. The
observatory is currently open to the public, and the conservation
work has already been completed.
A very important aspect in Xochicalco is that it has a series of storm drains to store water in cisterns and thus be used at the time it was required due to the lack of rain, which is approximately 7 months a year. All these drains were made with pre-built pipes that were assembled in a very similar way to those of today. These drains could be used to develop a cult towards the deity of rain.
The pyramid was intervened by the archaeologist Leopoldo Batres in
1909-1910; he restored the structure as we know it today and did a
magnificent job, considering the missing stones that the landowners took
to build their farms and to install the machinery required in the
manufacture of sugar.
The structure had a first constructive
stage, consisting of a small porticoed room of 10 by 11 meters; later a
small extension is made to the front and then it is covered to build the
pyramid that marked the most important site of Xochicalco, being the
axis of the design of the city. This construction consists of a basement
with sloping walls, crowned by a wall with a cornice and on it would
have been the temple of which only a row of sloping stones remains; the
wonderful carved on ashlar assembled of basalt and andesite with which
the building was made were joined without using any type of mortar.
Let's start with the reading of this monument, on the slope of the
pyramid on the east, south and north sides there are six feathered
snakes, separated from each other by interlaces and two smaller ones on
the west side; the large heads of the reptile are crowned with feathers,
as well as the entire body and finishing the tail with a skull and a
bouquet of long feathers, its body is undulating and studded with
snails.
In the first and second meander is a man sitting on a
small cushion; his head is deformed with erect tabular deformation
characteristic of the Mayan area, for clothing he wears his truss, a
necklace of beads, earmuffs with beads and a large reptilian headdress
with long feathers. In front of the face is the sign of the word
qualified with feathers and that should be read as a beautiful speech.
On the third meander is the date "9 reptile eye”, adorned with smoke
scrolls; the reptile eye sign was baptized with that name by the
researcher Hermann Beyer; however, Alfonso Caso identifies it for the
Mexica Calendar as the sign of the wind. In turn, the wisps of smoke
surrounding the glyph are interpreted as the sign of the new fire
(52-year cycle).
The Feathered Snakes on the front of the pyramid
are the same as the six previously described, but they are found framing
two of the important events of the monument. On the front of the left
and reading from right to left, you can see the sign of the year “6
cane" (the cartridge has a handle in the frame that means tied of days);
it continues a square with a monkey head that presents eleven circles on
its right and upper margins, which refer to the day “11 monkey”. The
date is tied with a rope, being pulled by one hand towards the glyph "9
or 10 house” (the presence of the numeral 9 or 10 in the date house,
refers to that they did not remember the date exactly) and behind this
another hand is observed, leaning on a square that has a circle. This
has been interpreted as a calendrical adjustment.
On the front of
the right side and reading from right to left, you can see the glyph of
a circle crowned by the year sign, and then, a seated man in simple
clothes who has no head (because the carved body is on the board where
the spike of the lost head was embedded) carrying the priest's bag, his
name is “2 movement” and his nickname is because he is represented as a
man carrying half a ball game, “Charger of the Universe” (because it is
in the ball game where the stars play, and sometimes they lose and
others win). Between the character and his name there is a date that is
the year “10 solar ray”, equivalent to the flint day of the Mexica
Calendar, according to Alfonso Caso, followed by the day “9 reptilian
eye”, which probably refers to the inauguration of the pyramid or the
date on which it is ordered to be built. This character is mentioned in
other monoliths, so he must have been a very important ruler of
Xochicalco.
The facing of the East side or the back of the
building, is divided into eight rectangles, where each one has (or had,
in the case of the missing ones) a priest sitting with his legs crossed,
holding a censer, and accompanied by a day sign with its numeral and on
this is a place name that alludes to the town where said character comes
from. The priests and their place names, which were found all over the
wall, must have been 28 representatives, considering the size of the
rectangles and calculating those that can fit all over the wall.
Starting from the center of the back to the right. The first priest is
accompanied by the day "5 and unidentified glyph“ (the glyphs to which
we give the qualification of ”unidentified" refer to calendrical signs
that do not appear in the postclassic period, that is, in the Aztec
calendar) and on this, a toponym representing a hand or claw. The next
priest has the day "6 and unidentified glyph“ and on it some closed
hands that touch each other by the knuckles, on the wrists they have
ribbons that hang; the next two rectangles do not exist. Towards the
left side, the same priest is repeated, but the date is "13 mono". The
place name on the brazier is represented by some unidentifiable
incomplete scrolls. The next priest has the date "3 cane”, and his
locative is a female figure wearing a quexquémitl accompanied by some
feathers. The next priest, the figure also carries an elongated virgula,
the speech sign, the eclipse glyph and above this, the toponym with the
representation of the back of a mammal and its tail; in the last square
there is only a fragment of priest.
Continuing the reading on the
north side of the pyramid, on the upper wall there are a series of
rectangles in which a seated character with crossed legs is seen who has
the virgula of the word, carries an elongated bag typical of a priest, a
headdress with the year sign with feathers and in front of him there is
a place name of his place of origin and, below this, an open mouth that
wants to swallow a circle divided into quadrants, which symbolizes an
eclipse that was seen in Xochicalco occurred on May 1, the year 664 d .
C. In the northeast corner the first rectangle does not have the priest,
but its toponym consists of a ball of down, a skein of thread or leaves
in a basket and a cane; the next toponym does not exist; another
continues with an arm throwing a spear; the one that follows is a
crested animal, possibly a chameleon; then a coyote with a feather that
runs from ear to nose; the next place name consists of the lower
extremities of a person, shod with huaraches crossing a river, continues
an element that is something that runs away, but the absence of color
makes its identification impossible; in the penultimate place name we
can observe a plant vine with a flower, while in the last one, the lower
limbs of a person shod with huaraches on birds are engraved.
On
the south facing, there are four priests preceded by the eclipse sign;
only the fourth one has a toponym and consists of a rabbit standing on
its hind legs with a small virgula. On the left front face of the
pyramid, the priests continue, the eclipse glyph, but the place names
are not identified. And on the right, there is only a carved stone in
the corner that must have been from somewhere else in the pyramid,
possibly from the upper temple.
On the front of the upper temple
we have, on the left side, a coyote with a strange object, a warrior and
the date new fire 10 cane; while, on the right side, we have a tree with
a large root, a warrior and the date new fire 8 cane. While on the jambs
or sides of the temple there are two standing human figures dressed in
trusses, huaraches and a ribbon under the knee, which the players used
to kneel during the ball game. Next to the one on the left jamb, there
is a coyote, a backpack and a pot with herbs, while the one on the right
jamb, is accompanied by a small female deity (because of the nose it
carries, it looks like a pulque deity) and three cones with foam.
On the wall of the temple that crowned the pyramid there is only one
scene that presents a warrior woman with her Macuahuitl and in front of
her, a seated warrior with three arrows, his chimalli, command staff in
his left hand and a date 7 cane. Of the rest of the temple wall, there
are only a few carved stones left in which you can see several warriors
associated with eagles and felines, probably the beginning of what the
Mexica would call eagle warriors and jaguar warriors. In addition, there
are several calendar dates that are easily identifiable in terms of the
name: caña, cipactli and casa, but as for the numeral we are not sure if
it is complete since missing ones can be observed in the final carving.
There is also a glyph that appears in the murals of Cacaxtla that is a
feathered eye. Finally, there are two place names, one in the southeast
corner, which consists of a river and inside is the head of a woman and
in the northeast corner another that is a small man.
The pottery
of the pyramid has carved the ventral scales of the snakes; probably the
ophidian head was at the top and at the bottom the skulls. On the sides
of the alfarda there is a great warrior sitting on what could be a large
bench with support, carrying his chimalli and all this on a cultivated
field.
In 1962, the archaeologist Juan A. Sáenz discovered three
quadrangular stelae in Structure A. The stelae have elements such as
designs, numbers, names and Caledaric signs. They also have a religious
connotation, in which it is proposed that they represent the gods of the
sun, the earth and the rain. Other proposals point out that it may be
the exploits of rulers.
Stela 1 is a rectangular sculpture with
the main representation of the god Quetzalcoatl emerging from the jaws
of a snake, in the stela a well-known Nahua myth is told about the
creation, the human beings of the Fifth Sun or Cosmic Era. It is linked
to the cycle of the planet Venus, which in the creation myths is the
herald of the Sun for being the first star that appears in the morning,
once the darkness has disappeared. At the top there is a square with the
glyph 7 reptilian eye. On the lower part a face with fire symbols
emerging or opening to exit completely, on the back there are symbols of
9 tochtli and 5 acatl in ascending order to a temple; on the sides there
are corresponding symbols for tochtli, acatl, calli and a lying
character similar to a Chac mool.
Stela 2 is a rectangular cubic
sculpture with a basal spike. On the front face to the center it has the
god Tlaloc with a headdress of the symbol of time; on the bottom there
is a moustache, the characteristic fangs of this deity, on the sides
glyphs alluding to water and a bifid tongue were carved; on the top a
square with an aquatic element and the numeral 7. On the back side it
has the numeral 9 ray of the sun, an arrow, an ear of corn, 2 feet
ascending and the symbol of time, ending in the numeral 13 ray of the
sun, the symbol of time and a buzzard head.
Stela 3 is a
rectangular cubic carved sculpture in low relief on its 4 sides. On the
front side there is the representation of Quetzacóatl with the symbol
Nahui ollin (4 movement), and a heart from which 3 drops of blood come
out (this same element appears in the murals of Cacaxtla) and the
numeral 4; on the back side the numerals 10 and 13 cane with a pair of
feet ascending each and on top a crenellated temple. On the sides it has
various numerals (cane, house, kin, monkey) and the representation of a
feline with a forked tongue.
Stela 3 sculpture interpreted as the
self-sacrifice of Quetzalcoatl to create the fifth humanity. The upper
part has the symbol 4 movement, while in the lower part there is a
trilobed heart, similar to those represented in Teotihuacan, from which
three drops of blood flow.
Stela of the two glyphs made of
limestone rock is located in an adoratory in the center of the central
Square, it represents on one of its faces two calendrical glyphs: 10
reed and 9 reptile eye. It is likely that its importance lies in the
allusion to the founding of the city.
The exchange networks between Xochicalco and other regions were fundamentally for its development. This city established relations with Oaxaca, Guerrero, the Pacific coast and the Mayan area, which allowed it to become a city with a complex artisanal specialization controlled by the elite
The control of the exchange routes of goods such as seashells, green
stones, obsidian or cocoa generated that militarism developed
significantly during the Epiclassic. The location of Xochicalco accounts
for the political intensity of the time, as the site is located on top
of several hills from which it was possible to monitor the intrusion of
enemies who will seek to destabilize the power of the elite.
The
war for the protection of the temple terraces, walls, moats and caverns
were built for the defense of the temple.
They were those that each society considered special and that grant a status to those who owned and used them, so they were probably exclusive to the elite or those who presided over ritual ceremonies. They usually came from foreign regions and involved a great effort to get and work. The most recurrent were marine shells and snails, ornaments and monuments made of green stone and metal, as well as mica, pyrite and turquoise.
The Xochicalco Site Museum is the first ecological museum in the
world. His project began in 1993, and was developed by Rolando J. Dada y
Lemus, a Mexican architect. The investigations of the indigenous city
and the construction of the museum were part of the government program
to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage. The work was
completed on November 30, 1994 and the museum was inaugurated on April
10, 1996. The Archaeological Zone of Xochicalco was declared a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.
The museum is located on a plot
of 12,676 m2, which does not have urban drinking water, drainage, or
electricity services. Therefore, it should have been conceived as a
self-sufficient building in its services and air conditioning.
The museum is composed of three areas: The entrance, the parking lot and
the exterior gardens, with an area of 4,550 square meters. The entrance
courtyard and the three interior gardens, whose area is 1,237 square
meters; and by the covered spaces: the introductory lobby, whose large
window allows admiring the indigenous city as if it were part of the
museum; its six exhibition halls, whose innovative hexagonal figure
provides an overview of three rooms at once and reduces the visitor's
routes, compared to a rectangular room; the administrative; and the
restaurant and the services. These covered spaces have an area of 1,870
m2.
The museum can receive, simultaneously, about 600 people, 70
cars and 14 buses. Its cost - 1994 - was $6'000,000.00 Mexican pesos,
then equivalent to 1’818,000 American dollars.
The entire museum,
from the parking lots to the exit to the archaeological zone, is
equipped for disabled people. A condition that was unusual in Mexico.
The ecological devices that the museum has are: Collection of rainwater
that falls on the roofs and its conduction to the cisterns, whose
capacity is 556 cubic meters. 100% natural lighting, by means of zenith
domes, whose ducts are formed by mirrors. When sunlight decreases, the
lighting is supplemented by electricity generated by photovoltaic cells.
The interior temperature is controlled by double walls with an
intermediate space, which are perforated at the bottom to allow fresh
air to enter, which - when heated - rises and passes through a double
roof, to go outside at the top of the towers, through the chimney draft
effect. On the outside of the lobby, there is a concrete lock that
prevents the passage of the setting sun to the bay window, which has a
gray glass-filter to the outside; an intermediate space to allow the
elevation of the air that penetrates through the separations of the
aluminum handle that holds the clear glass that overlooks the lobby. The
conformation and its appearance tend to mimic the museum with the
mountains that surround it and minimizes its presence so that the museum
does not visually compete with the archaeological zone.
On the
hill near the main esplanade of the ceremonial center, the building is
located under very defined concepts in terms of its form and function.
From the parking lot there is access to a large space that, through a
large window, offers us an amazing panoramic view of the archaeological
zone.
This way you enter the first room where you can see, at the
intersection of the main axes that generated the project, the model of
the area and start the tour of the other rooms. There is also a
thousand-year-old stone model in that introductory room.
The
almost triangular shape of the halls and their perpendicular lighting
system, invites us to make the tour in the order that the museographers
have arranged and thus we see different pieces that lead us through the
history of the ceremonial center.
At the exit of the museum, you
reach a small square where you can take a cobbled road to the ruins, or
go back, going around the building and passing by the cafeteria, to the
parking lot.
In the rooms and corridors, natural lighting is used
by diffusing it through prisms that direct it to where it is required,
reducing the need for artificial lighting.