Tepetlaoztoc or Tepetlaoxtoc (
Nahuatl
Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...
for "
tepetate
Tepetate (Spanish ''tepetate''; Nahuatl ''tepetlatl'') is a Mexican term for a geological horizon, hardened by compaction or cementation, found in Mexican volcanic regions. Tepetates at the surface are problematic for agriculture, because of thei ...
-cave place", ) is an
archaeological site located in the Central Mexico plateau region of
Mesoamerica, which was an
Aztec/
Nahua settlement during the Late Postclassic period of
Mesoamerican chronology, with an occupancy continuing through the Colonial period. The site is situated in the
Valley of Mexico, to the northeast of
Texcoco.
In the 1970s the area was relatively undeveloped, and one could, on
aerial photographs, still discern the 16th century field lines and
irrigation system drawn in the
Codex of Santa María Asunción (manuscript in the
Biblioteca Nacional) and the Codex Vergara. Likewise one could locate many of the
aldeas that were tributary to Tepetlaoztoc, and still find the wall bases of their houses. By the time of
William T. Sanders
William Timothy Sanders (1926–2008) was an American anthropologist who specialized in the archaeology of Mesoamerica.Jeremy PearceWilliam T. Sanders, 82, Anthropologist, Is Dead ''The New York Times'', July 16, 2008.
Early life and education
San ...
's work in the 1990s, development had largely destroyed these remnants.
References
*
Altepetl
Aztec sites
Archaeological sites in Mexico
Valley of Mexico
Former populated places in Mexico
1990s archaeological discoveries
{{mesoamerica-stub