Cuahilama is a hill and an archaeological site located southeast of Santa Cruz Acalpixca, in the Cuahilama neighborhood, near the Xochimilco Archaeological Museum, in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. It was a ceremonial center. In the hill are pre-Hispanic images engraved in basaltic rock.

Location

The “Cuahilama Cerro” or Cuailama, is located at “prolongación 2 de abril” Street, between streets Cacalanco and 3 de mayo, very near the Santa Cruz Acalpixca town. In the

Xochimilco Xochimilco (; ) is a borough () of Mexico City. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in the precolonial period. Today, the borough cons ...

borough, south east of

México City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

History

The

area was inhabited by Preclassical groups

Cuicuilco Cuicuilco is an important archaeological site located on the southern shore of Lake Texcoco in the southeastern Valley of Mexico, in what is today the borough of Tlalpan in Mexico City. Construction of the Cuicuilco pyramid began a few centuri ...

Copilco Copilco was an important Mesoamerican ceremonial center, southwest of Mexico City, Mexico. Copilco is located approximately four kilometers north of Cuicuilco. Both were covered by lava from several eruptions of the Xitle volcano three thousand ...

and

Tlatilco Tlatilco was a large pre-Columbian village in the Valley of Mexico situated near the modern-day town of the same name in the Mexican Federal District. It was one of the first chiefdom centers to arise in the Valley, flourishing on the western sho ...

(1500-200 BCE), and subsequently, in the period Classical period, by the

Teotihuacano Teotihuacan (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Teotihuacán'', ; ) is an ancient Mesoamerican city located in a sub-valley of the Valley of Mexico, which is located in the State of Mexico, northeast of modern-day Mexico City. Teotihuacan is ...

(CA. 200 BCE-700 CE). Apparently, Acalpixca was founded by the xochimilcas around 1254 CE, the first nahuatlacas tribes arrived from

Aztlán Aztlán (from or romanized ''Aztlán'', ) is the ancestral home of the Aztec peoples. The word "Aztec" was derived from the Nahuatl a''ztecah'', meaning "people from Aztlán." Aztlán is mentioned in several ethnohistorical sources dating from t ...

in the north to the Anáhuac Valley in 1265 CE, the first Xochimilca Lord, Acatonalli, founded the village on the Hill Cuauhilama.''La flor mas bella del ejido.'' The most beautiful flower in town
/ref> Between 1450 and 1521, Santa Cruz Acalpixca was a small village, although capital of the area, it was during this period that the petroglyphs were made. Those settlers were farmers, founded the settlement with Acatonalli, its first ruler, who while facing food shortages proposed before the Council of elders, placing wooden rods filled with organic dirt, thereby over the water, creating the

Chinampa Chinampa ( ) is a technique used in Agriculture in Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican agriculture which relies on small, rectangle, rectangular areas of fertility (soil), fertile arable land to grow agriculture, crops on the shallow lake beds in the Va ...

in the Lake, agricultural method that has been transmitted from generation to generation since prehispanic times until the present day, they produced

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

, chili,

beans A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are tradition ...

pumpkin A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...

and flowers as well as other crops.''Un paseo por Xochimilco.'' A tour around Xochimilco
/ref> From Cuahilama, the Xochimilcas would have extended over the southern shore of the

lake, the islets of

Tláhuac Tláhuac is a Boroughs of Mexico City, borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City, located in the southeastern edge of the entity. Though Tláhuac still contains rural communities within its borders, mostly in the southern and eastern p ...

and Míxquic, and towards the

Sierra de Ajusco-Chichinauhtzin The Sierra del Ajusco-Chichinauhtzin, (Ajusco-Chichinautzin Mountain Range) also known as ''Serranía del Ajusco'' or ''Sierra de Chichinauhtzin'', is a Mexican mountain range located between Mexico City and the states of Morelos and State of Mex ...

Archaeological Zone

At Cuahilama (Nahuatl= “old woman head”) is an observatory, a shrine and a prehispanic causeway that runs east- west and provided access to the top of the hill, where the ceremonial area was probably located, and to agricultural terraces; the basements of residential quarters are registered over an area of 400 m² and a Xochimilca “jolla or military training camp. The site depicts cultural

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

characteristics and possibly was a ceremonial center linked with agricultural fertility festivities and worship of the Sun reflected on calendar and astronomical events.''Secretaría de Turismo Ciudad de México.'' Mexico City Tourism Secretariat
/ref> This prehispanic settlement celebrated every 52 years, the “Fuego Nuevo” (New Fire) ceremony, to ensure the arrival of the new sun.''Zonas Arqueológicas de México, D.F.'' Archaeological sites in Mexico City
The site is famous for the petroglyphs located on the hillside and the slopes of the Hill, are prehispanic

Petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

s dating back to between 1200 and 1500 CE, these expressed the Xochimilcas views, and have been attributed ceremonial functions and deity veneration. The

Petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

are stars, constellations and figures representations reportedly associated with the cult of fertility.''Pueblos indigenas de México y agua:Xochimilcas.'' Mexican native towns and water: Xochimilco
/ref>

Description

*Ollín Nahui (fourth movement): Alludes to the Fifth Sun current, since other four Suns or stages, had already conformed other four Humanities, since the creation of the world. It has embodied the four directions of the universe and the four calendar numerals. *The Huetzalin (the Priest): He guided the Xochimilcas from Tula, according to padre Durán. *Ze

Cipactli Cipactli ( "crocodile" or "caiman") was the first day of the Aztec divinatory count of 13 X 20 days (the '' tonalpohualli'') and ''Cipactonal'' "Sign of Cipactli" was considered to have been the first diviner. In Aztec cosmology, the crocodile sy ...

(One crocodile): belongs to the first day of the Mesoamerican calendar. * Itzpapalotl (Obsidian Butterfly): Symbolizes poetry, song and dance. The butterfly mobility was taken as symbol of the Sun (Nahui Ollin) movement. *Xonecuitl (curly foot): Quetzalcoatl staff or baton, represents the

Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...

, is linked to war and sacrifice (same as the skull). *Océlotl (jaguar): It's the fourteenth day of the solar calendar month. It is the symbol of war. By its nocturnal habits, the Panther was considered the

Nagual In Mesoamerican and Toltec spiritual traditions, a Nagual (from the Nahuatl word nāhualli) refers to a human being who can access spiritual power through transformation or deep connection with their tonal counterpart. This ability is not merely ...

li or

Tezcatlipoca Tezcatlipoca ( ) or Tezcatl Ipoca was a central deity in Aztec religion. He is associated with a variety of concepts, including the night sky, hurricanes, obsidian, and conflict. He was considered one of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omec ...

God animal form mask. *Huacalxochitl: Xochimilcas sacred plant. Medicinally used to fight infections, also was considered important for ceremonies, because it was used to ornament military heroes or the

Tlatoani ''Tlahtoāni'' ( , "ruler, sovereign"; plural ' ) is a historical title used by the dynastic rulers of (singular ''āltepētl'', often translated into English as "city-state"), autonomous political entities formed by many pre-Columbian Nahuatl- ...

. *Acocoxochitl (

Dahlia ''Dahlia'' ( , ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae (synonym name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its relatives include the sun ...

Flower): Its Nahuatl name means: hollow stem filed with water flower. Since prehispanic times had several uses: ornamental, nutritional, medicinal and ceremonial. It is considered the Mexican national flower. *Yoloxochitl (

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

Flower): *Nahualapa: Stone map, which registers the Xochimilco Lake, 56 water springs, eight buildings with stairways and many paths. *Ocelocóhuatl (Also called Cihuacoatl): In

Aztec mythology Aztec mythology is the body or collection of myths of the Aztec civilization of Central Mexico. The Aztecs were a culture living in central Mexico and much of their mythology is similar to that of other Mesoamerican cultures. According to legend ...

, Cihuacoatl ("snake woman"; also Cihuacóatl, Chihucoatl, Ciucoatl) was one of a number of motherhood and fertility goddesses. (See also Ilamatecuhtli, Teteoinnan, Tlazolteotl, and

Toci Toci is a prominent deity in the religion and mythology of the pre-Columbian Aztec civilization of Mesoamerica. In Aztec mythology, she is seen as an aspect of the mother goddess Coatlicue or Xochitlicue and is thus labeled "mother of the gods ...

.) *The “yaoquizqui (The warrior):

Current status

A sad situation affects the archaeological zone of Cuahilama, predators, vandalism and undeniably apathy of authorities and society itself.Periódico El Ahuejote.
/ref> Little has been done against the deterioration of the archaeological remains, which is on the verge of losing every cultural value as a result of urban growth and lack of protectionXochimilco, Tláhuac, Milpa Alta.
/ref> by municipal authorities and the

Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia The Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH, ''National Institute of Anthropology and History'') is a Federal government of the United Mexican States, Mexican federal government bureau established in 1939 to guarantee the researc ...

(INAH), in spite of public complaints of looting of archaeological pieces, nothing has been done in the area.Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos indigenas. National Commission for Native Towns Development
The Petroglyphs are unprotected, damaged by graffiti and abandonment. The zone is private property, but the owners lack title to land, only private contracts, so purchase of the land is not possible.

Site Importance

Cuahilma is not a relevant site: INAH When INAH was questioned on the lack of maintenance, they responded that in Mexico there are more than 10 thousand archaeological sites, and some "are of great relevance". The petroglyphs found in this area of Xochimilco are Aztec and were venerated deities; are stars representations, constellations and figures apparently associated with fertility cult.
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* Fernández-Poncela, A. M.; Venegas-Aguilera, L.; 2002
flor mas bella del ejido.'' INAH.
* Lorenza-Cruz, M. A. y Carlón-Correa, M. P.; 2004
paseo por Xochimilco.'' Medigraphic.
* Espinoza-Garcia, A. C.; Mazari-Hiriart, M
de culturas del agua en América latina y el Caribe. Pueblos indigenas de México y agua: Xochimilcas'' UNAM.
* Gobierno del Distrito Federal. 2008
Tláhuac, Milpa Alta.''
{Dead link, date=November 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Mesoamerican sites Archaeological sites in Mexico City Former populated places in Mexico Indigenous peoples in Mexico City