Xochicalco
Xochicalco is an archaeological site located between the limits of the municipalities of Temixco and Miacatlan 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 heyday 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 must be understood from its relationship with Teotihuacán, the dominant settlement in Mesoamerica throughout the classical period.
According to some researchers, Xochicalco arose after the abandonment of Teotihuacán to fill the vacuum of economic and political power 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.
Xochicalco Ruins
This archaeological ruin, located in the Morelos valley, reached its maximum splendor as a result of the weakening of Teotihuacán. It is considered the cradle of the cult and deification of the God Quetzalcóatl, of great importance for later cultures, such as the Toltec and the Mexica. The city was built on top of several hills, modified by ditches and artificial terraces. The rugged topography of its elevations made it possible to build a fortified city, guarded by watchtowers and with a great Citadel with pyramidal bases, palaces and ball courts.
Xochicalco's growth 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 refined material culture, which includes complex cosmogonic messages, such as the reliefs of the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, made this center a benchmark for Mesoamerican cultural synthesis and the emergence of militaristic cities.
Time of development. Its development was consolidated during the Epiclassic (650-900 AD) and it was abandoned around 1100 due to internal rebellions.
Toponymy
Xochicalco, a Nahuatl word meaning “in the place of the house of flowers,” is a carefully laid out Mesoamerican urban center built on a series of artificial terraces on a group of hills (such as La Bodega, La Malinche, and Xochicalco) whose location together with the construction of moats, walls and other defensive elements would allow to contain possible attacks.
Given its geographical location, Xochicalco enjoys worldwide fame and is highly 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 western Morelos after the abandonment of Teotihuacán. The main temple has ornaments with reliefs referring to the cult of Quetzalcóatl (the feathered serpent). The hieroglyphs that we were able to observe were those that represented the relationship with Oaxaca, Veracruz and a large part of the Maya area.
Architecture
The archaeological site of Xochicalco was originally built on three limestone hills. The Xochicalcas carefully planned the structure of the buildings, since 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, roads and stairs that allowed access between the terraces, roofs and drainage were established.
What stands out the most about the structure is its defensive character, since in the perimeter of the lower part of the hill there are moats, as well as 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, porticoes and stairs to restrict circulation.
At the top of the hill there are religious and administrative buildings that are connected to each other. The Acropolis, Xochicalco's central administrative precinct, served as the ruler's palace. To the East of the Acropolis you can see the Ceremonial Plaza, where the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpents known as Quetzalcóatl is located, as well as other religious temples. The Great Pyramid of Xochicalco is located in the Main Square, where they used to gather to witness public ceremonies.
Among the housing complexes, on the one hand are the “palaces”, where the ruling nobility resided, located to the north of the Main Plaza. 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 constructions 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 of drought-rain, to those associated with the day and the evening. Said fields are located, respectively, in the North, East and South parts of the Zone.
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.
Monuments
There is speculation that Xochicalco may have had a community of artists from other parts of Mesoamerica.
The sculpted reliefs on the sides of some buildings are of special interest. 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. Likewise, there is a remarkable observatory inside a cave with steps carved into the interior, where on the Equinox the sun's rays illuminate it creating an extremely bright beam of light. Outside of this day and the zenithal hour; the ray of light that has a focus point of approximately fifty centimeters from the floor, if the observer decreases the distance of the focus point of the shadow by bringing his hand closer to the ground, for example, an optical phenomenon is created that diffuses the beam towards the sides creating a diffuse shadow on the ground with more light in 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 at the site are: the pyramidal temples, palaces, three ball courts, temazcales, an unusual row of circular altars. There are also some sculpted stelae with the names and scenes of three kings of Xochicalco. Some stelae have been removed from their original locations, and are now on display at the Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia in Mexico City or at the site museum.
Central Square. It was possibly the most important civic-religious space in the city. At the center of the square is a shrine that contained a stele with two glyphs, on the sides the East and West buildings, and in the background the Great Pyramid, which is the largest construction on the site.
La Malinche. The South Ball Court is located in this area, the largest of the three known on the site, as well as twenty round altars and one square that were perhaps used to calculate the 260-day ritual calendar, and a set of 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 highly restricted access. Inside 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 faces; the Temple of the Steles, where the three stelae related to Quetzalcóatl 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.
East Complex. In it we find the East Ball Court, the Ramp of the Animals, made up of 255 slabs with representations of animals, and the Central Complex, an area where a polychrome altar, a temazcal or steam bath and a cistern to store drinking water are located. rain, which was distributed to the entire complex, through an elaborate drainage system.
West Complex. Integrated by structures located on the cave of the Observatory, which was used for astronomical exploration.
Astronomical site
The large number of caves found on the slopes of the hill are not natural, they were excavated by the Xochicalcas to obtain construction materials; 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 a corridor and a large chamber with a chimney that measures 8.7 meters from the base to the surface, whose flue opening is hexagonal; Said shot has a slight inclination so that the rays penetrate and the hexagon projected on the floor of the cave can be seen. It was also covered with stucco and painted in black, yellow and red.
In the period of 105 days, which goes 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 subway floor. Probably taking advantage of the solar phenomenon, the place was also used for religious ceremonies. The observatory is currently open to the public, conservation work has already been completed.
Drain
A very important aspect in Xochicalco is that it has a series of storm drains to store water in cisterns and thus be used when it is required due to lack of rain, which is approximately 7 months a year. All of these drains were made with pre-constructed tubes that were assembled in much the same way as today. These drains could be used to develop a cult towards the rain deity.
Temple of the Feathered Serpent
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 haciendas and to install the machinery required in the manufacture of sugar.
The structure had a first construction stage, consisting of a small porticoed room measuring 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 in Xochicalco, being the axis of the city's design. 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 course of sloping stones remains; The wonderful carvings on ashlars assembled from basalts and andesite with which the building was made were joined without using any type of mortar.
Let's begin with the reading of this monument, on the slope of the pyramid on the east, south and north sides there are six feathered serpents, separated from each other by intertwining 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 off the tail with a rattle and a bouquet of long feathers, its body is undulating and studded with snails.
In the first and second meanders there is a man sitting on a small cushion; His head is deformed with an erect tabular deformation characteristic of the Mayan area. He is wearing his truss, a beaded necklace, beaded earmuffs, and a large reptile head headdress with long feathers. In front of his face is the feathered word sign, which must be read like precious speech. In the third meander is the date "9 reptilian eye", adorned with volutes of smoke; the reptile eye sign was given 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 that surround the glyph are interpreted as the sign of the new fire (52-year cycle).
The Plumed Serpents on the front of the pyramid are the same as the six previously described, but they are framing two of the monument's important events. On the left front and reading from right to left, you can see the year sign “6 reed” (the cartouche has a handle on the frame that means a bundle of days); It continues with 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 a hand towards the glyph "9 or 10 house" (the presence of the numeral 9 or 10 in the house date, refers to the fact that they did not remember the date exactly) and behind it. another hand is observed, resting on a square that has a circle. This has been interpreted as a calendrical adjustment.
On the front right side and reading from right to left, you can see the glyph of a circle crowned by the year sign, and immediately after, a seated man with simple clothing who has no head (because the carved body is He is found on the board where the spike of the lost head was inserted) carrying the priest's bag, his name is "2 movement" and his nickname is due to the fact that he is represented as a man carrying half a game of ball, "Carrier of the Universe" (for being in the ball game where the stars play, and sometimes they lose and other times they 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 reptile eye", which probably refers to the inauguration of the pyramid or the date 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 wall on 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 seated priest with his legs crossed, holding a censer, and the It accompanies a day sign with its numeral and on it is a place name that alludes to the town where said character comes from. The priests and their place names, who were on the entire wall, must have been 28 representatives, considering the size of the rectangles and calculating those that can fit on the entire 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 qualifier "unidentified" refer to calendrical signs that do not appear in the postclassic period, that is, in the Aztec calendar) and on this, a place name that represents 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 hanging ribbons; the following two rectangles do not exist. To the left side, the same priest is repeated, but the date is "13 monkey". The place name on the brazier is represented by unidentifiable incomplete scrolls. The next priest has the date "3 reed", 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 sign of speech, the eclipse glyph and above it, the toponym with the representation of the rear part of a mammal and its tail; in the last square there is only a fragment of a priest.
Continuing the reading on the north side of the pyramid, on the upper wall there is a series of rectangles in which you can see a seated character with legs crossed who has the word symbol, 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 it, 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, 664 AD. C. [1]. In the northeast corner the first rectangle does not have the priest, but his name consists of a ball of down, skein of thread or leaves in a basket and a staff; the following place name does not exist; continues another with one arm throwing a spear; next is a crested animal, possibly a chameleon; next, 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 sandals that cross a river, continues an element that is something that drains, but the absence of color makes its identification impossible; in the penultimate place name we can see a vegetable liana with a flower, while in the last one, the lower limbs of a person wearing sandals on birds are engraved.
On the southern wall, there are four priests preceded by the sign of the eclipse; only the fourth has a place name and consists of a rabbit standing on its hind legs with a small virgula. On the left front wall of the pyramid, the priests continue, the glyph of the eclipse, but the place names are not identified. And on the right, there is only one carved stone in the corner that must have been from somewhere else in the pyramid, possibly from the upper temple.
In 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 reed; while, on the right side, we have a tree with a large root, a warrior and the date new fire 8 reed. While on the jambs or sides of the temple there are two standing human figures dressed in trusses, sandals and a ribbon below 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 mat and a vase with herbs, while the one on the right jamb is accompanied by a small female deity (because of the nose ring she carries, it looks like a pulque deity) and three cones with foam.
On the wall of the temple that crowned the pyramid remains a single scene that presents us with a warrior woman with her Macuahuitl and in front of her, a seated warrior with three arrows, his chimalli, baton in his left hand and a date 7 cane. Of the rest of the temple wall, only a few carved stones remain where 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 calendrical dates that are easily identifiable in terms of name: cane, cipactli and house, but as for the numeral we are not sure if it is complete since it can be seen missing 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 alfardas of the pyramid have carved the ventral scales of the serpents; probably the ophidian head was at the top and the rattles at the bottom. On the sides of the alfarda is a large warrior seated on what could be a large bench with support, carrying his chimalli and all this on a cultivated field.
Trails
In 1962, archaeologist Juan A. Sáenz discovered three quadrangular stelae in Structure A. The stelae have elements such as designs, numbers, names, and caledrical signs. They also have a religious connotation, in which it is proposed that they represent the gods of the sun, earth and rain. Other proposals indicate that it may be the feats of rulers.
Stela 1 is a rectangular sculpture with the main representation of the god Quetzalcóatl emerging from the jaws of a serpent. The stela narrates a well-known Nahua myth about creation, the human beings of the Fifth Sun or Cosmic Age. It is linked to the cycle of the planet Venus, which in creation myths is the herald of the Sun as it is the first star to appear in the morning, once the darkness has disappeared. In the upper part there is a square with the glyph 7 reptile eye. In the lower part, a face with symbols of fire emerging or opening to come out completely, in the back part 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 figure resembling a Chac mool.
Stela 2 is a rectangular cubic sculpture with a basal spike. On the front face in the center it has the god Tlaloc with a headdress of the symbol of time; in the lower part there are mustacheras, the characteristic fangs of this deity, on the sides glyphs alluding to water and a forked tongue were carved; in the upper part a square with a water element and the number 7. On the back side it has the number 9 sunbeam, an arrow, an ear of corn, 2 feet ascending and the symbol of time, ending in the number 13 lightning sun, the symbol of time and a vulture's head.
Stela 3 is a rectangular cubic carved sculpture in low relief on its 4 sides. On the front face there is a 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 face the numerals 10 and 13 cane with a pair of feet ascending each one and in the upper part 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 Quetzalcóatl's self-sacrifice 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 Teotihuacán, from which three drops of blood flow.
Stela of the two glyphs made of limestone rock located in a shrine in the center of the central Plaza, it represents two calendrical glyphs on one of its faces: 10 reeds and 9 reptile eyes. Its importance probably resides in the allusion to the founding of the city.
Trade and Craft Specialization
The exchange networks between Xochicalco and other regions were fundamentally for their 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 craft specialization controlled by the elite.
Militarism
The control of the exchange routes for goods such as seashells, green stones, obsidian or cocoa led to the significant development of militarism during the Epiclassic. The location of Xochicalco accounts for the political intensity of the time, since the site is located on the top of several hills from which it was possible to monitor the intrusion of enemies who would seek to destabilize the power of the elite.
War to protect the temple, terraces, walls, moats and caverns were built to defend the temple.
Luxury goods
They were those that each society considered special and that granted status to whoever 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 implied a great effort to obtain and work. The most recurrent were shells and sea snails, ornaments and monuments made of green stone and metal, as well as mica, pyrite and turquoise.
Museum
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 the voyage of Columbus. The work was completed on November 30, 1994 and the museum was inaugurated on April 10, 1996. The Xochicalco Archaeological Zone was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1999.
The museum is located on a 12,676 m² piece of land, which does not have urban drinking water, drainage, or electricity services. For this reason, it should have been conceived as a self-sufficient building in its services and air conditioning.
The museum is made up of three zones: the entrance, the parking lot and the exterior gardens, with a surface area of 4,550 square meters. The entrance patio and the three interior gardens, whose area is 1,237 square meters; and for the covered spaces: the introduction hall, whose large window allows you to admire the indigenous city as if it were part of the museum; its six exhibition rooms, whose innovative hexagonal shape provides an overview of three rooms at once and reduces visitor paths, compared to a rectangular room; the administrative zone; and the restaurant and services. These covered spaces have an area of 1,870 m².
The museum can receive, simultaneously, around 600 people, 70 cars and 14 buses. Its cost -1994- was $6,000,000.00 Mexican pesos, equivalent then to 1,818,000 US dollars.
The entire museum, from the parking lots to the exit to the archaeological zone, is conditioned for disabled people. Condition that was not usual in Mexico. The ecological devices available to the museum are: Collection of rainwater that falls on the roofs and its conduction to the cisterns, whose capacity is 556 cubic meters. 100% natural lighting, through overhead domes, whose ducts are made up of mirrors. When the sunlight diminishes, the lighting is supplemented by electricity generated by photovoltaic cells. The interior temperature is controlled by means of double walls with an intermediate space, which are perforated at the bottom to allow the entry of fresh air, which -when heated- rises and passes through a double roof, to go outside at the top of the the towers, through the chimney draft effect. Outside the lobby, there is a concrete beam that prevents the passage of the setting sun to the 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 mantle that supports the clear glass that overlooks the vestibule. The conformation and its appearance tend to blend the museum with the mountains that surround it and minimize their presence so that the museum does not compete visually 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 is how 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 in that introductory room a thousand-year-old stone model.
The almost triangular shape of the halls and their perpendicular lighting system invite us to take 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 come to a small square where you can take a cobblestone walkway towards the ruins, or come back, going around the building and past the cafeteria, to the parking lot.
In the rooms and corridors, natural lighting is used, diffusing it by means of prisms that direct it to where it is required, reducing the need for artificial lighting.
