Xochicalco
| Prehistoric city Xochicalco |
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UNESCO world heritage 
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| Pyramid E and stele of the two glyphs |
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| National territory: |
 Mexico
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | iii, iv |
| Reference No .: | 939 |
| UNESCO region : | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 1999 (session 23) |
Coordinates: 18 ° 48 ′ 13.9 ″ N , 99 ° 17 ′ 47.1 ″ W.
Xochicalco [ ʃot͡ʃiˈkaɬko ] is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in the western part of the state of Morelos in Mexico . The name comes from the Nahuatl language and means "At the place of the flower house". The place is 38 km southwest of Cuernavaca and 122 km from Mexico City .
On March 30, 2015, the memorial was included in the International Register of Cultural Property under the special protection of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict .
Find place
Xochicalco consists of a large area with ceremonial buildings and residential complexes of the upper class on a natural hill with artificially terraced slopes and a fortified wall surrounding the entire hill with complex gate entrances. The buildings on the top two terraces have been excavated and consolidated since the 1990s. The structure of Xochicalco is characterized by large squares, which are mostly bordered by ceremonial buildings, and brick streets. The earliest traces of settlement go back to 200 BC. BC, the most important architecture was built between 700 and 900. During the heyday, possibly up to 20,000 people lived there.
On the neighboring hill to the east ( Cerro de la Bodega ) there is a small citadel with three courtyards and a surrounding wall, to which a paved road delimited by side walls leads up. Because of the clear demarcation, a ritual function of the citadel is assumed, with a temple that has not yet been exposed, presumably for the god Quetzalcoatl . A trench cut into the rock surrounding this facility was not completed.
Research history
The ruins were first mentioned by Bernardino de Sahagún at the end of the 16th century. A first description from personal experience was published in 1791 by the polymath José Antonio Alzate y Ramírez . Alexander von Humboldt published illustrations and a description of Xochicalco in 1810. The Emperor Maximilian of Mexico also visited the ruins. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent was restored in 1910 by the Mexican archaeologist Leopoldo Batres . Further archaeological excavations and restoration work were carried out from 1934 to 1947 by Eduardo Noguera. Large-scale excavations and restoration of the entire area were carried out under the direction of Silvia Garza Tarazona and Norberto González Crespo from 1984 to 1994.
buildings
Xochicalco's buildings are located on several spatial levels of a hill rising 120 meters above the valley floor. The flat surfaces of the various levels were achieved by backfilling and excavation, which is why high, sloping and stone-clad retaining walls were required for stabilization. These were once covered with a layer of painted stucco. All buildings are located within a wall ring that has been partially excavated and reconstructed on the southern slope of the mountain. There is also a gate, from which a brick, only partially exposed path leads to the next level.
Characteristic for the majority of the buildings in Xochicalco is a rectangular, often almost square floor plan with a wide entrance, which is usually divided by two brick pillars. At the entrance there is a more or less narrow room that extends over the entire width of the building. From there a simple passage leads into the anteroom, from which it goes into the actual interior. The roof probably consisted of wooden beams with a thick stone and stucco packing. With a corresponding span, it was supported by wooden supports, of which traces have often been left in the stucco floor.
South plaza
There, the Plaza is located between the two temples D and C . Both temples are built in mirror image. They lie on a pyramid base that has a brick staircase leading to the plaza. At the level of the pyramid plinth are the actual temples, both of which have a large vestibule accessible through a wide entrance that is divided into three parts by two brick pillars. On the back wall, a narrow entrance leads into the actual temple room, which is just as wide as the anteroom, but far less deep. In the middle of the plaza is a low plinth that has been extended several times and on which stands a stele with only two glyphs. On the north side of the plaza is the building E (also called Gran Pirámide), which gives the impression of a high pyramid with wide stairs from the plaza. In fact, it is the correspondingly designed part of the retaining wall of the third level, with three structures lying one above the other in the tablero-talud profile (embankment, a sunk vertical field above, a wide vertical band protruding above it) while the actual pyramid-like structure of four identical designed structures. In the middle of the facade is a wide staircase with wide stringers. Only small remains of the surrounding wall of the actual temple building on the top of this pyramid have survived.
The southern plaza is bounded in the south by two almost exactly mirror-image buildings made up of two rows of rooms on either side of a wide passage. This passage is reached by a wide staircase from a lower level (now an abandoned car park).
From this point a clearly sloping paved road leads west past the ball court 1 in the direction of the palace and the mighty unexcavated pyramid of the Malinche.
The great rise
From the north-western corner of the southern plaza one arrives at a through structure: a central wall is preceded by a portico (to the south with particularly wide wall panels), and the centrally located passage through the wall is divided by two pillars. On both sides of the north portico there are remains of stairs that lead up to the roof of this building. This building limited access to the adjacent rectangular plaza. The plaza was framed on two sides by the stepped embankment of the top level. The embankment continues unexcavated to the west. On various levels of the embankment there were narrow, elongated buildings with portico-like openings to the plaza.
A monumental, only partially restored staircase with particularly wide stringers led up from the plaza to a landing. From there, a continuation of the stairs led to a second through structure and a square plaza. On the opposite side, a narrow staircase finally leads to the top level and the passage structure located there to the large plaza.
Edge development
To the east of the Gran Pirámide there is a remarkable building: around a slightly lower-lying rectangular inner courtyard, there are portico-like rooms on all four sides, which open to the courtyard through passages formed by wall pillars. On the west side, the row of rooms is spanned by a so-called flying staircase that leads to the roof level. This was also the only access to this complex, which shows its special isolation.
Central plaza
At the highest level of the mountain of Xochicalco there is an irregular rectangular plaza bordered on the east by a series of low buildings that run parallel to the perimeter wall on its edge. To the southeast, the plaza is bounded by Building A , and to the south by an entrance structure at the top of a middle-level staircase. The entrance structure consists of a long rectangular room, which has a wide entrance to the south to the monumental staircase above the surrounding wall, which is divided by four thick wall pillars. The opposite entrance to the plaza is only half as wide. To the west, the plaza is closed off by the Acropolis, a slightly higher collection of buildings that merge into one another. The boundary in the north is formed by the fall of the uppermost surrounding wall. A little east of the center of the plaza are two buildings with an identical floor plan. The southern one has become known as the pyramid of the feathered serpent because of its facade decoration; of the northern one, only the undecorated outer walls and minimal remains of a former upper temple building have been exposed.
Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent
- For the spectacle of the feathered serpent, see: → Pyramid of Kukulcán
The pyramid was never completely covered with earth and rubble, the reliefs remained largely visible, the building was completely exposed and consolidated by Leopoldo Batres at the beginning of the 20th century . It consists of two structures arranged one above the other. The lower one is completely preserved, the facade has a higher sloping part ( Talus , Spanish: Talud). It is this part that is adorned on all sides with a total of eight coiled feathered snakes in a raised stone relief. Between the windings there are depictions of seated people with elaborate headdresses and volutes suggesting language in front of their faces or calendar signs with numerical coefficients in a bar-point system. A high plume of smoke rises from the signs. The manner of representation suggests a structural analogy to a folded illuminated manuscript made of 4 sheets (front and back). A vertical surface (Spanish: tablero) protrudes slightly above this sloping part, into which individual relief blocks are set incoherently. These blocks were found in the rubble by Batres and used arbitrarily. Only on the east side are the blocks, presumably in their original form, and have been reattached. At the entrance on the west side there are also the stone reliefs in their original storage, which contain complex non-calendar pictorial characters, the meaning of which is unknown. The wall is probably the lower part (talus) of the wall, on which, as in the first step, sat a lower vertical surface, behind which the roof made of wooden beams was hidden. There is nothing left in the interior of the supports required for the roof. During excavations in the 1990s, a previous building was uncovered inside the pyramid, which, like pyramids C and D, consists of an anteroom and a main room, the connection between the two being through a wide passage, which is divided by two brick pillars. A low square platform was found inside the main room.
The meaning of the stone reliefs has not yet been deciphered. On the left side of the west side next to the cantilevered staircase there is an enigmatic representation within the winding of the spring snakes, which perhaps seems to indicate a correlation between different calendar systems or a replacement of one system by another ( more detailed ). Calendar signs can also be found on the right-hand side of the stairs, as well as in other parts of the facade. A 28-day cycle seems to be readable from the distances of several dates.
- Image gallery characters on the pyramid of the plumed serpent
Representation of the feathered serpent
Calendar sign with smoke trail
Non-calendar characters
Non-calendar characters
To the north of the pyramid is another pyramid with the same floor plan, but apparently without cladding with relief panels. Nevertheless, this pyramid is often referred to as a twin pyramid.
Building a
The building occupies the southeast corner of the central plaza. It combines the distinctive structural forms of Xochicalco: The building lies on a medium-high two-tier pyramid platform, to which one climbs from the west side on a staircase that takes up almost the entire width of the base. A portico with a double row of two or four pillars with an elongated floor plan leads to the somewhat lower courtyard. There are rectangular rooms in the south and north. In the east, the central, square temple building rises on a low pyramid plinth. When it was uncovered, a bricked, rectangular recess was found in it, in which the three stelae lay in a broken state, covered over and over with red vermilion. One can certainly rightly speak of a ritual burial here.
South of the building is the so-called Salón Sureste , in which rich offerings, including large sea snail shells, which were also red-pollinated, were found. It appears that these offerings were made before this building was deliberately destroyed.
Building B
Immediately to the north of Building A, on the eastern slope edge of the top level, lies an approximately 90 m long, heavily nested construction, which was undoubtedly a residential area of the upper class (a palace ). There are three structural units. The middle one has a wide portico to the plaza, which is formed by approximately 6 brick pillars, from which a central passage leads into a rectangular room with impluvium , which is surrounded by a corridor of pillars. From there one arrives in three rooms, whereby the middle one again opens into a portico to the east. The side rooms are connected to the other parts of the building, with the southern one having a portico leading to the plaza. The entire system with impluvium and pillar walkways shows strong similarities with comparable systems in Teotihuacan .
acropolis
A complex building that closes off the central plaza to the west is known by various names. From the plaza it gives the impression of a very wide low pyramid base, but it is the highest level in Xochicalco. Several separate units can be distinguished:
- Small plaza with two larger buildings on the south and north side, which have the typical pattern described in their structure, and a narrow building on the east side. At the corners of the plaza are small, nested rooms.
- To the west is a long, rectangular, mirror-image complex, which is arranged around a small room with impluvium. The entrances to the rooms are divided in two with brick pillars. The further the rooms are from the impluvium, the higher the floor is.
- The largest complex adjoins the west, and it is also designed in mirror image. In the middle lies a small impluvium, from which passages lead in all four directions into spaces that are very small to the east and west, and unusually large to the north and south. The ceiling was once supported by pillars. Noteworthy is a brick staircase in one corner that must have led up to the roof. An almost identical complex is located a little further north.
Other complexes are also at a slightly lower elevation in the west and south. In terms of location and structure, it should have been the residence of the local rulers. The fact that several buildings appear in pairs could indicate a split in the respective family line.
Eastern plaza
On the second level east of the large plaza there are large courtyards, some of which are framed by portico halls. On its east side there are three medium-sized pyramids with a poorly preserved temple area. The second ball playground is parallel to the east. A noteworthy ramp is the well-preserved stone pavement showing various animals in low relief.
Ball courts
Xochicalco has three ball courts . The largest is on the lowest level west of the mountain in front of the La Malinche pyramid . It has relatively flat side slopes and low reflective surfaces as well as a wide play alley. A wide brick ramp leads from the higher level to the ball playground. The second ball court is on the middle level east of the hilltop and has similar characteristics. In the north, the third ball court is based on the surrounding wall of the third level, which practically forms the southern reflex wall of the ball court running east-west, while the northern reflex wall is an independent structure, to which narrow brick stairs lead up. All ball playgrounds had large monolithic ball game rings with relief representations.
- Picture gallery of ball courts
Ring for the ball game
Ball playground 1
Ball playground 2
Ball playground 3
Monuments
Several free-standing ornate stelae have been found in Xochicalco. Only one ( Estela de los dos glifos ) is still in its original location in the middle of a square between the temple buildings Estructura C and Estructura D and south of Estructura e . Three more steles were discovered in a broken state in a brick underground chamber of the Estructura A , covered over and over with red ocher . Findings show that it is a ritual burial of the stelae. The steles are now in the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City . A number of inscription stones are in the local museum.
observatory
A natural cave has been converted into an astronomical observatory with artificial installations and was mainly used to determine the beginning of the agricultural cycle. This is one of the best preserved observatories in Mexico. It was originally covered with stucco and painted with black, yellow and red. With the help of an artificially bricked chimney one observed the stars that passed the zenith in the night . At that time this happened twice a year: in mid-March and in late July. Direct sunlight falls into the cave over a period of 105 days from late April to mid-August. This leaves 260 days without direct sunlight.
- Image gallery observatory
Observatory observation shaft
Access to the observatory chamber
The sun is shining in the shaft
tourism
Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a tourist attraction. There is a small museum near the excavation site. The architectural highlight of the museum is the glass wall of the largest exhibition hall, through which you can see the entire excavation site as if in a picture. The site is open to visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but access to the observatory is only permitted in the afternoon.
See also
Web links
- Xochicalco
- Xochicalco photos and information
- Xochicalco and Atlantis (Commentary on Augustus Le Plongeon)
credentials
- ↑ International Register of Cultural Property under Special Protection. (PDF; 70 kB) In: UNESCO.org. July 23, 2015, accessed January 6, 2020 .
- ^ 'Mexican Corridos in the Revolution' at Casa de Carranza Museum. In: inah.gob.mx. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, August 18, 2009, accessed on January 6, 2020 .
- ↑ Norberto Gronzález Crespo et al .: Archaeological Investigations at Xochicalco, Morelos, 1984 and 1986. In: Ancient Mesoamerica 6,2, 1995, pp. 223-236.
- ↑ Hanns J. Prem : Considerations on the chronological information on the pyramid of the feathered snakes, Xochicalco, Morelos. In: Ethnologische Zeitschrift Zürich 1, 1974, pp. 351–364.
Heritage: Historic Center of Mexico City and Xochimilco (1987) | Pre-Columbian City and National Park of Palenque (1987) | Pre-Columbian city of Teotihuacán (1987) | Old town of Oaxaca and ruins of Monte Albán (1987) | Historic Center of Puebla (1987) | Guanajuato Historic Center and Mines (1988) | Pre-Columbian city of Chichén Itzá (1988) | Old Town of Morelia (1991) | Pre-Columbian city of El Tajín (1992) | Old town of Zacatecas (1993) | Rock carvings in the Sierra de San Francisco (1993) | Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl (1994) | Pre-Columbian city of Uxmal (1996) | Querétaro monument ensemble (1996) | Cabañas Hospice in Guadalajara (1997) | Monument area of Tlacotalpan (1998) | Archaeological sites of Paquimé in Casas Grandes (1998) | Xochicalco Archaeological Site (1999) | Historic city and fortress of Campeche (1999) | Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda (2003) | Luís Barragán's house and studio (2004) | Agave landscape and historical tequila production sites (2006) | University campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (2007) | Fortified town of San Miguel de Allende and the pilgrimage church of Jesús de Nazareno in Atotonilco (2008) | Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (2010) | Prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Oaxaca Valley (2010) | Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque (2015)
Natural heritage: Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (1987) | El Vizcaíno lagoon - whale shelter (1993) | Islands and Protected Areas in the Gulf of California (2005) | Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve (2008) | El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve (2013) | Revillagigedo Archipelago (2016)
Cultural / natural heritage: Mayan city of Calakmul and tropical rainforests in Campeche (2002)