Zazacatla is a
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...
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 ...
of
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 ...
's central Mexican plateau region, in
Xochitepec
Xochitepec is a ''municipio (Mexico), municipio'' (Municipalities of Mexico, municipality) of the Mexican state, state of Morelos, in central Mexico. Xochitepec is also the name of its principal township and seat of the municipal government. It is ...
, dating to the mid-Formative period of
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian, prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BC ...
. The site was first excavated in 2006 underneath a modern commercial and housing development site, some 13 km (8.1 mi) south of
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca (; , "near the woods" , Otomi language, Otomi: ) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state, state of Morelos in Mexico. Along with Chalcatzingo, it is likely one of the origins of the Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican civilizatio ...
, capital of the
Mexican state of
Morelos
Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Mun ...
, and 40 km (25 mi) south of
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 ...
. Initial investigations by archaeologists from Mexico's
National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reported finding evidence of
Olmec
The Olmecs () or Olmec were an early known major Mesoamerican civilization, flourishing in the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from roughly 1200 to 400 Before the Common Era, BCE during Mesoamerica's Mesoamerican chronolog ...
cultural influences at the site, the first such known for the western Morelos region.
Site description
A fraction of Zazacatla's ceremonial center has been investigated, amounting to some 9,000 m
2 (approx. 2.2
acre
The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
s) of excavations. The total area of the site is estimated to occupy some 2.5 km
2, or slightly less than one square mile.
Zazacatla's occupation is dated to between 800 and 500
BCE, making it roughly contemporary with the
Olmec
The Olmecs () or Olmec were an early known major Mesoamerican civilization, flourishing in the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from roughly 1200 to 400 Before the Common Era, BCE during Mesoamerica's Mesoamerican chronolog ...
center of
La Venta
La Venta is a pre-Columbian archaeological site of the Olmec civilization located in the present-day Mexican state of Tabasco. Some of the artifacts have been moved to the museum "Parque - Museo de La Venta", which is in nearby Villaherm ...
, 400 km (250 mi) to the east. Several sculptures of what appear to be Olmec-style "priests" have been uncovered. These sculptures, as well as Olmec-style architecture, have led to speculation on the role that Olmec culture played in Zazacatla.
Archaeologist Giselle Canto told Associated Press that the inhabitants adopted Olmec styles when they changed from a simpler egalitarian society to a more complex hierarchical one:
In January 2007 the
governor of Morelos
The governor of Morelos was created with the state of Mexico in 1869. (:es:Territorio de Morelos, Morelos was a Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Territory from June 17, 1914, to February 5, 1917.)
See also
* List of Mexican state g ...
,
Marco Adame Castillo, announced an offer for the state to underwrite the preservation of the site and to incorporate it into the tourism and cultural heritage plans for Morelos. He foreshadowed that a tourism project would be initiated at the site's location once the archaeological investigations had further developed.
[García (2007).]
Notes
See also
*
Olmec influences on Mesoamerican cultures
The causes and degree of Olmec influences on Mesoamerican cultures has been a subject of debate over many decades. Although the Olmecs are considered to be perhaps the earliest Mesoamerican civilization, there are questions concerning how and how ...
*
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 ...
*
Tlapacoya
References
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*
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* Also available as Gale General OneFile document number A158381284.
*
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External links
Olmec-Style Effigies from Zazacatla photographs by Jorge Pérez de Lara, reproduced at Mesoweb
Photo of the Olmec-style sculptures��note the downturned mouths.
Archaeological sites in Morelos
Mesoamerican sites
Olmec sites
Former populated places in Mexico