La Quemada

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La Quemada - ruins
La Quemada - ruins
La Quemada - Votive Pyramid
La Quemada - Hall of Columns

La Quemada (or Tuitlán ) is a pre-Hispanic archaeological site in the Mexican state of Zacatecas .

location

The ruins of La Quemada, located on a hill and at least 600 km from the classical ceremonial centers of central Mexico, are located near the N54 in the area of ​​the municipality of Villanueva approx. 50 km southwest of the city of Zacatecas at an altitude of approx. 2400  m .

function

Due to the marginal location of civilization, some researchers see an outpost of Teotihuacan or Tula in the place against the nomadic and predatory tribes of the north, especially the Chichimeks . In 1615, the Franciscan and historian Juan de Torquemada identified the place as one of the places where the Aztecs lingered on their way from north to central Mexico. At the end of the 18th century, people began to equate La Quemada with the legendary area of Chicomoztoc , where the Aztecs and other peoples of Mesoamerica located their origins - a theory that has since become obsolete.

history

The site experienced its peak in the period between approx. 450 and 650 AD, that is, at about the same time as the sites Teotihuacan and Tula , approx. 600 km away ; after that the decline began and around 1200 the site was completely abandoned.

Archaeological site

The buildings of La Quemada, which are located on several platforms that have been leveled by human hands and are essentially made of small stones or stone slabs and then plastered, can be divided as follows:

  • The approx. 41 × 32 m large and originally supported by 11 masonry columns, the Salón de las Columnas ("column room") reached a ceiling height of approx. 5 m.
  • The inaccessible Pirámide Votiva ("Votive Pyramid"), which is inaccessible due to its steep construction, was over 10 m high.
  • Right next to it, the ball playground (Juego de Pelota) extends in an 'I' shape.
  • A staircase (Escalinata) leads up to the fortress-like summit of the complex (Ciudadela) , on which several structures with unknown functions can be seen.

museum

In 1995, an archaeological museum was opened next to the “column hall”, which presents numerous finds from La Quemada and neighboring sites.

See also

Other ruin sites in the state of Zacatecas are:

Web links

Commons : La Quemada  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ La Quemada Museum

Coordinates: 22 ° 27 ′ 23 "  N , 102 ° 49 ′ 16"  W.