Chalcatzingo
Chalcatzingo is an important ruin site of the Olmecs from the early to late Preclassic in the southeastern part of the Mexican state Morelos , about 37 km as the crow flies from the state capital Cuernavaca . Chalcatzingo is famous for its rock reliefs in the Olmec style.
exploration
In 1932, some of the previously completely unknown rock reliefs were exposed by a landslide. Larger investigations took place only 20 years later. In 1971 Garlo Gay published his detailed studies. Since then, excavations have taken place again and again, which also examined the buildings located in the flat terrain and made them accessible.
Location
The site covers an area of around 40 hectares. It is located in a climatically favored, frost-free and sufficiently humid zone, on the southern roof of the central Mexican highlands, in flat terrain that is only interrupted by individual weathered volcanic cones. Chalcatzingo was the central place and function as an important point on the trade routes from the south into the basin of Mexico . Around 60 small, simultaneous settlements have been identified in its vicinity. While the earliest evidence of human activity on this site dates back to the 15th century BC. The heyday is in the 8th century. The numerous rock reliefs are also assigned to this time.
The site is spread over around two dozen artificial terraces, which are located on the western rubble cone of the Cerro de Chalcatzingo (also: Cerro de la Cantera). On terrace 1 there is a plaza with the homes of the local upper class. Terrace 25 has a sunken courtyard, in the middle of which there is a large altar made of stone blocks in relief.
The largest construction of Chalcatzingo is structure 4, an almost square platform with a side length of around 70 m. Numerous graves of high-ranking people were found under the floors of the residential buildings, and their gifts include jade jewelry and the concave pyrite mirrors typical of the Olmec culture .
Reliefs
In the flat part of the site, several steles were found that bear pictorial representations. Most of the reliefs (34 are counted) are on almost vertical rock surfaces at the foot of the mountain. Later rockfalls have partially covered or relocated the reliefs. Another group of rock reliefs is found north of the first and was made on the surface of large boulders. The topic here is the representation of people in Olmec costume, who may depict local rulers. The designations of the reliefs in the literature are not uniform.
Relief I.
The first and largest relief to be found is located on a vertical rock slab and is partially covered by other boulders. In the center of the scene is a very abbreviated cave (also recognizable by several plants above the cave), from which large volutes flow out, which are supposed to represent the drafts of air blowing out of the caves. In the cave, a person with a large headdress sits on a stone throne. With both hands she holds an angular object decorated with volutes horizontally in front of her chest. This attitude is often found in Olmec representations.
The scene is closed at the top by three objects, which perhaps represent clouds from which numerous drops fall. This suggests a rain theme that also recurs in other reliefs.
Relief VI
The theme of the lush plants is symbolized here by the very realistically depicted branch of a pumpkin plant.
Relief VII
A cloud from which raindrops fall is also shown on this relief. No really convincing interpretation has yet been proposed for the being on which the raindrops fall.
Relief II
On a partly badly eroded boulder is a scene with two jaguars attacking two people. The jaguars wear a headdress. Below the upper one (in the rotated image) lies an apparently helpless person with outstretched arms. The lower jaguar is difficult to see, but the tip of its tail appears to have been severed and blood is spurting out.
See also
literature
- David C. Grove: Ancient Chalcatzingo . University of Texas Press, Austin 1978, ISBN 0-292-70372-4 (anthology with numerous articles on Chalcatzingo)
- Jorge Ángulo V .: Chalcatzingo, Guía oficial . INAH, Mexico 1979
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Carlo TE Gay: Chalcatzino . Academic Printing and Publishing Company, Graz 1971 (numerous images)
- ^ David C. Grove: Chalcatzingo . In: The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures . University Press, Oxford 2001, ISBN 0-19-514255-1 , Volume 1, pp. 169-171.
Coordinates: 18 ° 41 ′ 47.2 " N , 98 ° 46 ′ 40.9" W.