Ndaxagua (also Ndaxagua cave, Ndaxagua natural tunnel), locally known in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

as ''El Puente Colosal'' ("Colossal aturalBridge") is a natural cave with double entrance and

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

, located in the extreme northern end of the Coixtlahuaca Basin, central-southern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The cave was most likely used by

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

n cultures such as the Zapotec and

Mixtec The Mixtecs (), or Mixtecos, are Indigenous Mesoamerican peoples of Mexico inhabiting the region known as La Mixteca of Oaxaca and Puebla as well as La Montaña Region and Costa Chica of Guerrero, Costa Chica Regions of the state of Guerre ...

as well. The cave gets its name from a natural rock bridge formation above it. The cave functioned as a sacred entrance into the basin. Several Coixtlahuaca

codices The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...

refer to this cave. In

codex The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...

depictions, the cave was believed to be the place where Quetzalcoatl descended from heaven. There are several pre-Columbian inscriptions at the Ndaxagua site. These murals in the cave depict

anthropomorphic figures Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

with protruding beak-like mask. Another mural shows a deer ready to be sacrificed by a figure holding a blades. Another sacrificial mural is present as well.

Location

The region belongs to the communities of

Tepelmeme Villa de Morelos Tepelmeme Villa de Morelos is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United Sta ...

and

Santa María Ixcatlán Santa María Ixcatlan is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in southeastern Mexico and is the second least densely populated municipality in Oaxaca behind Santa María Chimalapa. It is part of the Teotitlán District in the north of the Cañada ...

and is part of the protected semi-desert area of the

Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve is a protected natural area located in southeastern Mexico. Its name derives from its two main locations: Cuicatlán and Tehuacán, in the latter are their administrative offices, covers 490,186 hectares d ...

Juquila River Santa Catarina Juquila is a town in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, and is the seat of the municipality also called Santa Catarina Juquila. It is part of the Juquila District in the center of the Costa Region. The name "Juquila" comes from "Xuhquilill ...

References

External links

Five years of speleological investigation in the karst of Sierra Mixteca-Zapoteca, South of Tehuacàn, Oaxaca, Mexico Conference: 15th International Congress of Speleology
Caves of Mexico Mesoamerican sites Mixtec sites Cave sites in Mesoamerican archaeology Archaeological sites in Oaxaca Landforms of Oaxaca {{mesoamerica-stub

Location

See also

References

External links